Drabbles Forever
by Mikell
Summary: An acrostic is a poem, or in this case, a series of drabbles, in which the first letter of each line makes up a word. Fifty-five drabbles in seven acrostic sets documenting the Hamato Clan, their relationships, their journey, their COMPLETE
1. Leonardo's Chapter 1 Leader: Splinter

**A/N: An acrostic is a poem, or in this case, a series of drabbles, in which the first letter of each line makes up a word. _Drabbles Forever_ will consist of a series of acrostic drabble sets as follows: **

**Drabbles of Leo: Leonardo; Drabbles Collide: Raphael; Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello; The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo; Search for Drabbles: Splinter; and finally Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato.  
**

**Huge thanks to Melody Winters, Diva Danielle, Polaris'05 and DuckiePray for your support, encouragement and epic beta-reading awesomeness. You gals rock my world, always.**

**I'd like to dedicate this first series to a friend who has provided a flicker of light in my life and brightened my days more than I can say. hugs Lauren. This one's for you.  
**

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_******Welcome to t**he first installment of the Drabbles Forever series: Drabbles of Leo _

_**He is the Leader. Emotional. Obstinate. like Nitrogen to his family, Always there in times of need, modeling Rectitude and Drive. He is Opaque to danger that might threaten. He is Hamato Leonardo.**_

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**Drabbles of Leo **

**_Chapter 1 Leader: Splinter_**

_***  
_

Today is the day. My boys pass their fourteenth year; from the day I discovered them. By the code of Bushido, today they become men.

They stand before me, awaiting the ceremony. Donatello is quiet, passive. No doubt he wishes to be elsewhere, tinkering with something mechanical in the small room he has chosen for his workshop.

Michelangelo squirms. It is difficult for him, the youngest of my sons, to be still for any length of time. Rarely does he take anything seriously. When he was awarded his first real side-arm, a short blade, at five years of age, he promptly lost it in the couch cushions. That a real knife can cut when one is careless was a painful lesson, one he has not forgotten. Raphael still has a small scar on his right side, just at the base of his bridge, where the tip penetrated.

Raphael… Ah, my passionate son. I see the flash of boredom and resentment in your eyes as the ceremony begins. I know you are unhappy, my son, but I have thought long and hard about this decision. I will set Leonardo apart, and I fear the close friendship you have so far enjoyed with your brother may be strained. I know the choice must be made. The Clan needs a Leader, one who can guide with a clear head, who can make decisions to the betterment of the family. Such a leader needs a strong pillar, someone to hold him accountable, to balance him. You, my son, will be that balance. You will keep Leonardo on a right path.

Leonardo. Today, you and your brothers step into adulthood as you receive your weapons. You, my son, receive something more, as I hand you your first set of true blades. These are no _bokkan,_ wooden swords dulled for practice. These are steel, sharp and deadly.

Today you become a man. Today, I lay upon your brothers the mantle of adulthood. Today you receive something more; the heaviest burden a parent can place upon his child.

Today, you become the Leader.

***


	2. Leonardo's Chapter 2 Emotion: Leonardo

**A/N: How could I have forgotten? I own nothing TMNT related except for some lovely plushies, a few DVDs and action figures, and a very special hat. **

**As always, a thank you and a round of applause is due to the actual owners for allowing us the opportunity to play with their toys here in the world of fan-fiction.**

**And to my beta-readers, Melody, Diva, Polaris and Duckie: Take a bow, girls!  
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**Drabbles of Leo**

**_Chapter 2 Emotion: Leonardo_**

**_***  
_**

Emotion. Splinter says it must be our guide, but not our master. I am to meditate upon this. It's part of my continuing training, to master my emotions. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as I seek my center, my peace.

Emotion. Worry for Don as he stays up late yet again, in his never-ending pursuit of the solution to some electronic dilemma. He's working too hard. The emotion, worry, does not serve the clan well. I push it aside, contain it, re-direct it into action… I will talk to Don about his late nights; remind him of the need to balance the mind _and_ the body.

In. Out. Breathe.

Emotion. Frustration with Mikey as he goofs off in practice _again_. He doesn't understand, doesn't get why we have to train so hard, why it's important. One slip… one moment's inattention, could cost us injuries… could cost him his life. The irritation causes me to be short with Michelangelo, which causes him to get annoyed and discouraged, and distracts him even more. Frustration… tension… breathing… letting it flow out, run away like water. Changing the order of the katas, and challenging Mike to pretend he's a video game super hero will keep him interested, keep him focused.

In. Out. Breathe.

Emotion. Anger with Raph's impulsiveness… he should be more responsible… fury burns, bubbling up like lava, scorching, tearing at my chest. He needs to _think_. Breathing becomes more difficult. I strive to control the trembling of my hands. He led them into the fight with the first Monster. Rage courses through me.

Anger… Giving up on meditation, I stand, striding out to the room where Don and April are studying an ancient legend, stalking like a wounded panther, furious with my brother, afraid for my family, angry with myself for failing. On a lonely rooftop, I give the pent up emotion vent, in four words, words I don't even mean: _I'm better than you._

Anger: It is the emotion that nearly destroys us all.

***


	3. Leonardo's Chapter 3 Obstinate: Raphael

**A/N: The attack on Raphael referred to at the end happened in the first movie. Leo and Raph meeting the gator in the sewers was referenced in Tales of Leo. **

**Language warning for Raph's vocabulary.  
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Drabbles of Leo**

**_Chapter 3 Obstinate: Raphael_**

**_***_**

Fearless.

I've been callin' ya dat since we was ten, an' you put a giant sewer gator to sleep with just a touch. But what I really mean is stubborn. Yer determined, pig-headed, an' ya won't listen ta anyone else.

I never knew anyone like you, Leo. I never knew anyone so fixed on doin' t'ings yer own way. You never give up. You get an idea in yer head, an' you just go wit' it, no matter what. No matter what anybody else t'inks, no matter what happens, you just gotta have it yer own way, dothcha?

When're ya gonna learn ta go wit' da flow, Leo? When are ya gonna relax an' jus' jump in for once? When da action starts, I wanna _go_, leap in, leave all da t'inkin an' plannin' an' fussin' an' just _fight_. You wanna stop an' look an' sneak an' control every las' damn thing. You wanna see everythin' like a big chess game, guess what the enemy's gonna do, ten steps ahead. You always wanna protect, always wanna know what's comin', an' you never give up, do ya?

Which is why, after da Foot kicked da shell outta me… an' I came crashin' through a skylight inta April's apartment… I woke up in a bathtub in a farmhouse in da middle o' nowhere. 'Cause you, oh Fearless One, wouldn't let me go, would ya?

You always have been obstinate.


	4. Leonardo's Chapter 4 Nitrogen: Donatello

**Drabbles of Leo**

_**Chapter 4 Nitrogen: Donatello**_

_*******_

You might think my brother Leonardo is like oxygen to our family. He is… in a way. Everyone knows you can't live without oxygen, and we know we would never have made it this far without Leo. He's the cohesive agent, the one who keeps us together, keeps us organized, keeps us focused.

The atmosphere has another huge component. Nitrogen. It makes up 4/5ths of the earth's atmosphere. Most people never give nitrogen a second thought, but actually, it's more prevalent, by far, than oxygen. It's everywhere, in everything. I do mean _everything_. It's present in combined forms in the tissues of plants and animals… especially in the proteins. Without protein, there is no muscle, no strength. Without nitrogen, there is no life.

Leo is like nitrogen. He's everywhere, touching every aspect of our lives. He's ingrained in all of us. He's embedded in my heart, my psyche. I feel the strength from the exercises he puts us through in training rising up in battle, carrying me. I hear his voice in my mind when I'm about to take a foolish risk, cautioning me to be careful. He is everywhere, the mortar and cement, the foundation of our clan.

My brother is nitrogen, and without him, we could not exist.

***


	5. Leonardo's Chapter5 Always: Michelangelo

**Drabbles of Leo**

_**Chapter 5 ~Always: Michelangelo~**_

Always. I used to hear that a lot from Big-bro Leo. "Mikey, you're always goofing off! Mike, how come you always forget to close the refrigerator? Michelangelo! Always remember to hang up your mask to dry after a rainstorm."

Always, always, always, it's like Leo was a broken record sometimes. He was constantly on my shell about one thing or another. It was kinda funny when Raphy called him "Mamma Leo". He really is… was... a mother hen sometimes. Still, I didn't mind it too much. I mean; I actually miss having another big brother around. I need someone to protect my shell when Raph gets a little hot under the collar because of some harmless prank I pulled. And it never hurt to have Leo around when we were going into a battle, you know? He's the go-to Turtle when you need a plan, fast.

That's why this past year has been so hard. I mean, we all knew it'd be hard when Leo went away for training. We knew we wouldn't be able to patrol, wouldn't be able to fight bad guys, without our big brother to lead us. But we haven't had a letter from Leo in... like forever. I drift… the tv's on, droning in the background…

Suddenly my brother's there, larger than life. I'm not sure if I'm dreaming or not, but I hear his voice. "No, Mike, you're not dreaming."

I knew he'd come home. I knew he would. He promised. And Leo keeps his promises. Always.


	6. Leonardo's Chapter 6 Rectitude: Splinter

**A/N: The seven teachings of Bushido are**_** gi**_**- Rectitude (moral uprightness), **_**yuu**_**- Courage, **_**jin-**_** Benevolence, **_**rie**_**- Respect, **_**shin**_**- Honesty, **_**yo**_**- Honor, **_**chuu**_**- Loyalty.**

**The incident referred to in this one, Don falling into the canal, was a story shared in Tales of Leo. I've just... expanded on it a bit.  
**

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****Drabbles of Leo**

_**Chapter 6 Rectitude: Splinter**_

_*******_

My son was lying to me. I could sense it, though he looked me directly in the eye as he spoke.

"Are you certain that is all, Leonardo?"

"Yes, Sensei."

His voice bore no hint of deceit, and yet… there was something… I sighed, dismissing him for the time being and sending them both to bed. Donatello had tumbled into a swollen canal in the tunnels and Leonardo had helped him get out. The boys were badly shaken, but Donatello seemed unharmed, thanks to his brother's quick action. Not pursuing the story further turned out to be the biggest mistake I'd made as a parent.

Donatello's illness came on suddenly in the night. He was shaking with apparent cold, though his young body was burning. My herbs, administered at the first sign of fever, are effective, but once infection has taken root, their bodies must fight the illness off on their own. I sat, rocking my shivering son, as he confessed to me the rest of the story. His foot had become trapped. He'd been near to drowning when his brother dove deep to free him. In his fear, Donatello had swallowed a mouthful of the germ-saturated sewer water. Coupled with the abrasions on his foot, the ingestion of filthy water was enough to make him desperately ill.

In a moment of anger, I woke Leonardo, and made him come to sit beside his brother while I prepared more tea. I lectured the boys on _gi; _rectitude, and _shin_; the Bushido value of honesty.

"_Gi_, Leonardo, means that _shin_ alone is not enough. The mere telling of a truth does not complete honor's requirement. The _entire_ truth must be told."

"I... didn't want Donny to get into trouble, Sensei," whispered my eldest son.

"Leonardo, truth must always be told. Even when it is difficult."

He looked up then. "_Hai, _Sensei."

Leonardo sat, holding Donatello's hand in his own, tears sliding down his cheeks. It was nearly a week before Donatello recovered. Leonardo never left his side, and he has never, since that dark time, told me another lie.

***


	7. Leonardo's Chapter 7 Drive: Leonardo

**A/N: Lightening things up, just a bit. As a mom of a 13 year old, this topic is often on my mind.**

** Once again, many thanks to my beta-readers, Melody Winters, Polaris'05, Diva Danielle and DuckiePray. Check out their amazing fics as well!**

**EDIT: How could I have forgotten?! A big shout-out goes to my friend Andrea, who came up with Donny's line! YAY DREA!  
**

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****Drabbles of Leo**

_**Chapter 7 Drive: Leonardo**_

For a turtle who's never driven before, Don didn't do too badly. We only bounced off a few cars parked on the sides of the street as we careened away from the hoard of Purple Dragons who wanted to turn our shells into soup bowls.

Michelangelo, on the other hand, was a complete disaster the first time he drove the armored truck Don dubbed the Battleshell. Donatello vowed never to let him behind the wheel of another vehicle. I'm still not quite sure how the parking meter got crammed quite that far up under the front left fender. I asked Don about it. He just shook his head, with that grim look he gets sometimes, and flipped his welding mask back down.

It was three weeks before Raph got his first driving lesson. He did slightly better than Michelangelo, but only because any object foolish enough to get in his way was obliterated upon impact. Raphael only has one speed: fast forward. Don spent another month pounding out dents and muttering over broken axles and tie rods. At least Raph got interested in mechanics and offered to help with the repairs.

I didn't think Donny would ever let another Turtle behind the wheel of his precious van, so I was more than a little shocked when Don walked up to me one evening and dropped the keys in my palm. "Let's go," was all he said.

"But Don, I…"

He turned to glare at me. "Sensei says we all have to learn to drive. In case we need to use the Battleshell to make a quick getaway sometime."

I nodded in understanding. Master Splinter had insisted we all learn to use one anothers' weapons as well, though Michelangelo with katanas is a sight I hope I never see again. Ever.

Still, considering my track record with kitchen appliances, I understood Don's tension as we eased out of the warehouse. He was gripping the dashboard so hard I was certain his fingers would be permanently embedded. I took it nice and slow, easing down the alley and pausing to look both ways before driving smoothly out into the street. Donny relaxed by the time we reached the corner of Sixth and Main. When we rounded the corner of Eastman, heading for Laird, he was actually smiling… until I tried to back the truck into the warehouse and annihilated the steel garage door. Oops.

Once the crashing, crunching, squealing of metal grinding against metal stopped, I turned to Don. I expected him to look disappointed. Sad. Homicidal even. He just sat there, staring desolately out the cracked windshield.

"I knew I should have installed an emergency brake in this thing."

From here on out, I think Don should drive.

***


	8. Leonardo's Chapter 8 Opaque: Raphael

**A/N: The final installment in Drabbles of Leo. Next up: _Drabbles Collide: Raphael_.  
I'll keep them as a continuation of this fic, to make it easier for the readers who've already alerted this.  
**

**Once more, a big thank you goes to my beta-readers, Melody Winters, Duckie Pray, Polaris'05 and Diva Danielle. You gals rock. And a special thank you to FairDrea, for being you. Love ya gals.**

**It seems appropriate to end Leo's series with a view from Raph. Their relationship is complicated, but I believe they are quite close, underneath the arguments and bickering.  
After all, they are brothers, and "ain't nothin' gonna change that." -Raphael, TMNT  
**

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****Drabbles of Leo**

**_Chapter 8 Opaque: Raphael_**

**_***_**

My brother, Leo, is a walkin' shadow. Light don't seem to touch him, it just slides around him like he ain't even there. Strikes an' kicks are da same way, slidin' past 'im. I t'ink we're da only ones who can get a real hit on Leo, us and Sensei and maybe Shredder on a good day. It's like he just… reflects or absorbs everything thrown at him. Nothin' gets through, especially if he's defendin' his family.

Leo's fightin' his way through a mob o' Foot soldiers. I watch outta da corner o' my eye as a dragon punch near takes his head clean off. He just rolls with da hit, absorbing it the way black absorbs light, an' makes it heat. He reflects the next blow, sending the force back into his opponent in a way that has the guy staggering back and landing in a crumpled heap on the pavement.

He keeps on goin', spinnin' around an' takin' out two more Foot. I feel the maniacal grin growin' on my face. We're gonna win. We're moppin' da alley wit' these guys. Then it happens. There's a _crack_, and Donatello cries out, an animalistic sound of rage and pain dat cuts right through my shell and deep inta my heart, firin' me up an' makin' me wanna _break_ somet'in. Preferably da neck o' da guy dat hurt my bro.

There's no time ta think. The three of us turn, rushing to form a half-circle in front o' Don. He's layin' back against da brick wall, clutchin' at his arm. His bo's layin' on da ground in two pieces. Leo's on my right. Mikey's on da other side. The Foot close in, grinnin' like fools. They don't know what they're up against. They don't see the cold rage burnin' in Leo's eyes. They don't know they'll never get past him. They don't know my brother is opaque.

***


	9. Raphael's Chapter 1 Rain: Donatello

**Please see my profile for a huge announcement regarding a project that affects the entire fandom from GoGreenMachine(dot)org. **

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**A/N: An acrostic is a poem, or in this case, a series of drabbles, in which the first letter of each line makes up a word. **_**Drabbles Forever**_** will consist of a series of acrostic drabble sets as follows:**

**Drabbles of Leo: Leonardo; Drabbles Collide: Raphael; Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello; The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo; Search for Drabbles: Splinter; and finally Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato.**

**Welcome to the second installment in the Drabbles Forever series; **_**Drabbles Collide: Raphael**_

**Raphael: In the **_**R**_**ain, Donatello learns something about his hotheaded older brother. Michelangelo recognizes his **_**A**_**ffection, and Splinter hopes his son will find **_**P**_**eace. Who sees him as a **_**H**_**ero? The life of a turtle is often exciting, but **_**A**_**bstinence sucks. Anger makes him **_**E**_**loquent, but Michelangelo can, almost always, make him **_**L**_**augh. He is Raphael.**

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One more time, a HUGE thank you goes out to my beta-readers: Diva Danielle, DuckiePray, Polaris'05, and Melody Winters.**

**Sorry girls, but I have to dedicate this one to Raph's destiny. You know who you are. ;)**

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****Drabbles Collide: Raphael**

*****  
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_**Chapter 1 ~Rain: Donatello~**_

Raph was heading for the door when I stepped out of the lab that night. Leo'd called off training due to the extreme weather conditions topside. Even the Purple Dragons wouldn't be crazy enough to be out in this weather, but here was my hotheaded older brother, donning his trench coat and fedora.

"Where are you going, Raph?" I asked with more curiosity than concern.

"Out."

Meet my brother, Raphael. He's the articulate one. Are you getting the sarcasm here? I'm laying it on pretty thick.

"I'll come with you." Even as the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Raph's search-light gaze landed directly on my face, making me squirm. Raphael has a way of looking at a guy... If you're a Purple Dragon or a Foot soldier, his look makes you wish you'd stayed in bed that morning, because you know this big guy is going to enjoy taking you apart. If you're one of his brothers, you stop and check to be sure your fly is zipped (if you happen to be the kind of turtle who wears jeans), and you don't have toilet paper stuck to your shell. Splinter has a look like that, too, but with Splinter you know he's not going to knock you on your shell if you've annoyed him, or burst into raucous laughter at your expense. With Splinter, The Look is _safe._  
With Raph? …Not so much. Especially when we've been cooped up in the Lair as long as we have; long enough to make a run in a rainstorm with my brother sound like an appealing alternative to sitting around at home.

"Whatevah." He turned away, striding toward the door.

I had to scramble to get my coat and hat on, before scurrying out after him. He didn't say another word as we climbed the fire escape. He shed his hat and coat at the top of the first building and waited while I did the same. The disguises are great for walking the streets, but they make lousy running gear. Raph took off across the rooftops, not racing, but keeping a steady pace. Finally he stopped, coming to rest on a roof with a huge, glowing red neon sign on one side, announcing the name of the club for miles.

I caught up, and looked around. There didn't seem to be anything special about this particular roof, but it must've held some appeal for Raphael because he was standing in the middle, the light bouncing off the raindrops splashing down on his shell and refracting, making him look like some kind of radioactive angel. He tipped his head back and just let the deluge run over him. It was raining a lot harder now, pouring. I felt like I was standing under a waterfall. Water was trickling into places I didn't know I had skin.

After a while Raph turned to me. "Come on, Genius," he growled. "Let's go."

I was more than ready. "Ok."

Back at the Lair, we hung up our dripping coats. I noticed Raph was smiling, an easy, relaxed expression I hadn't seen on his face in a really long time, and it dawned on me; Raph's not all that complicated. I mean sure, he can be surly and obnoxious sometimes. He can be impulsive. He can even be a real hot head, but all it takes to cool him off is a good run, and rain.

***


	10. Raphael's Chapter 2 Affection: Mikey

**A/N: Dialogue is blatantly stolen from the first three episodes of the DVD volume 1: Attack of the Mousers;  
**_**Things Change**_**, **_**A Better Mousetrap**_**, and **_**Attack of the Mousers**_

**I still own no turtles. *sigh*****That privilege belongs to Viacom.**

**And I still have the best beta-readers EVAH: Diva Danielle, DuckiePray, Polaris'05 and Melody Winters. Who else has betas who get them kicked out of libraries and make them spit tea all over their computer screens with hysterical fits of laughter?! Mah girlz!  
heh  
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**Drabbles Collide: Raphael**

_**Chapter 2 ~Affection: Michelangelo~**_

***

I'm Raph's favorite brother of course. I mean, how could he not love me? Sure, he shoves me around sometimes, whacks me on the head, but hey, we're brothers. It's how we roll. I really get under his shell.

"_Ouch! Hey, Mike, watch where you're pointin' dem shuko spikes!"_

He loves my witty banter, the jokes, the deep brotherly talks… And he's really impressed with the way I handle myself around the ladies.

"_Heh, you keep talkin' like dat an' she's gonna pass out again."_

Yeah, and I'm the fun one. Raphy would be so bored if I weren't around. I mean, I'm a walking bundle of entertainment.

"_Geez! Where's your off switch?"_

I am the center of his universe, really. He loves me. Wouldn't know what to do without me.

"_First rule, ignore Mikey. You're life will be much easier."_

He loves my insight, my wisdom, my brilliance…

"_Will you shut it?"_

I'm the shining star, the center of his universe. Yep, I fill a special place in my brother's heart.

"_Don't look now, we already got a blank spot right here."_

Yep, my brother. Passionate, hot headed, rough and always ready to go. And I'm his favorite. I know, because he told me so.

"_Yeah, you too, Mikey. Especially you."_

_***  
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	11. Raphael's Chapter 3 Peace: Splinter

**A/N: Once again referring to the 2k3 toon-verse in this one, specifically _Attack of the Mousers_, and _Meet Casey Jones._**

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_Drabbles Collide: Raphael**

**_Chapter 3 ~Peace: Splinter~_**

***

Raphael has long worried me. Of my sons, he has the hardest time taming his emotions, quieting his spirit, finding balance. From childhood, he seemed to always be questioning, struggling against anything resembling authority or restraint, whether it be his own limitations or my attempts to reign in his impulsive behavior. He does not take what I tell him for granted. Instead he must experience things for himself. If I tell him a fire is hot, he seems drawn to it, to touch it with his fingers. He does not believe it will burn him until he feels it searing his skin. When he was young, I did not know how to help him quiet his spirit. I did not know how to help him control the flame that burns so brightly with in him, and at times I despaired for him.

I am, of course, proud of all of my sons. Donatello amazes me with his genius, his curious mind, his constant thirst for discovery. Michelangelo's optimism is often a source of joy and his laughter lightens this father's heart. Leonardo is focused and dedicated to the path of ninjitsu. Raphael is an enigma. He seems determined to rush ahead, to leap in, to engage, and yet, it is difficult for me not to smile, even as I must scold him. He has no fear, no sense of danger. I fear for him, even as my heart is filled with pride for his boldness and his apparent indifference to pain.

Raphael, my passionate, impulsive, angry son. Of his brothers, he chafes most against the restrictions I must lay upon them. He wishes to go out, to find adventure, to fight for justice. When I was angry with my sons for revealing themselves to a human, April O'Neil, it was Raphael who questioned me, getting immediately to the heart of the matter.

"But Sensei, aren't you always teachin' us to do the right t'ing?"

Ah, my Son. If only life were so simple. If only I could teach you to use the cunning of your ninjitsu, make you understand, there are many ways to do the right thing.

Finally the day came when Raphael's insistence upon going out into the world brought him into contact with someone as stubborn and strong willed as himself. Casey Jones… while at first I was reluctant to allow my sons to consort with such a man, he has become a friend to Raphael, a partner who understands him and returns to him the friend I took away when I made Leonardo leader of our small clan.

I was afraid he would come between my sons, causing the strife between Leonardo and Raphael to become even greater. I was afraid he would lead them into things they were not prepared for, get them into trouble... And he did.

But, in teaching Mr. Jones to reign in his own impulsive temper, in teaching another our ways of honor and temperance, Raphael, my passionate son, has found his path. Casey Jones offers my son an outlet, an opportunity to set right some of the things that his dedication to justice finds so repulsive. Raphael has discovered his calling, found a vent for his need to defend the weak and the helpless. Casey Jones has given my most impulsive son a purpose.

Raphael, in fighting, has found peace.

***


	12. Raphael's Chapter 4 Hero: Leonardo

**A/N: Leo refers to the events from the fourth movie, TMNT, in this one. **

**I have always been a huge fan of the Leo/Raph relationship. I think they argue so often because, at heart, they are a lot alike.  
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**Drabbles Collide: Raphael **

_**Chapter 4 ~Hero: Leonardo~**_

*******

I think that the greatest irony of my life is the crap I gave Raphael over the whole Nightwatcher thing. Here I was, telling him off for his hot-headed vigilante behavior when I'd been doing the same thing, a thousand miles away, jumping into a fight that had nothing to do with me, playing at being a hero to save people to whom I existed only as a legend, a fairy tale, a ghost. At least Raph came home every night. He didn't disappear for a year, abandon his family, leave them behind in some crazy quest…

When I finally came home, he was the only one who really stood up to me. Splinter acted as if I'd done nothing wrong. I was so ashamed, and he handed over the family crest as if I'd somehow earned it, as if I hadn't failed. Donatello was just relieved. Mikey clung to me as if he was afraid I'd disappear again. Only Raph held back. Only Raph had the courage to be angry with me.

It's always been that way between us. Raph's always been the one to tell it like it is. Splinter, he has his hands full teaching us to be good people, to stay on the path, to never forget who we are. Donny's interested in keeping the peace so he can be free to work on his inventions, to discover the world. And Mike, well he depends on our family. We're his security.

Raph, he doesn't depend on _anyone_. Not overtly, anyway. We fill his need in a different way. He needs us, sure. He needs someone to protect, to care for, someone to lead into trouble who'll forgive him every time he realizes he's gone just a little too far. He's the challenger, the one who questions everything, from the way the world turns on its axis to the simplest order in the heat of battle. He never just follows me blindly like the others do, never _listens_. He's always got to do things his own way. He pushes and fights and challenges me every single step of the way.

He has always been, and will always be, my personal hero.

Just don't tell him I said so. He's hard enough to control as it is.

***


	13. Raphael's Chapter 5 Abstinence: Raphael

**A/N: This one… well what can I say, but… Sorry Raph.**

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Drabbles Collide: Raphael**

_**Chapter 5 ~Abstinence: Raphael~**_

***

The first time we walked inta the bar, my hands were sweatin' a little. I mean, I'm not used to bein' in close proximity to a buncha humans, you know? Except the Foot, and they're usually tryin' ta take my shell off. It's only natural that crowds make a guy like me a little nervous. Even in dim lighting, with my face and shell hidden by a pair of over-sized jeans Casey got from the Mission and a hooded sweatshirt pulled close over my head, all it would take is one good look at my green skin for one of these humans to freak out and cause a riot.

I glance around, sizing up the people. There aren't any who look like they could give me real problems. A couple of girls are leaning on the bar, giggling. A scrawny guy is sitting a few stools away, completely engrossed in whatever the amber liquid is in his glass. Another, bigger guy sits at a table, watching the girls. He has a slightly predatory look that makes my hands twitch toward my sai, hidden under the hoodie, but for now at least he's content to stare and nurse his beer.

"Relax, Raph," Casey mutters. He nudges me toward a table in the corner, far enough into the room to provide good dark shadows, but close enough to the door for us to get the shell outta there quick if we need to.

"Whatevah," I grumble, sinking into the seat as if I'm not strung tighter than Mikey on six cups of coffee and a bowl of chocolate-coated sugar bombs. I don't know why I agreed to this. Probably because Leo was getting on my shell again about hangin' out with Casey. Tellin' me it's dangerous, that Casey's gonna get me inta trouble. Whatevah. I can handle it.

I sit, watchin' the big guy. He finishes his beer and sidles up to the bar. He says somethin' to one of the girls. She just flips her hair back in a gesture even I know is rejection. The guy's shoulders sag, he kinda deflates, before slapping his money on the bar and stalking out. I smirk, even though I feel kinda bad for him.

Casey comes back to the table. He's got a couple of beers. "He ain't here," he says quietly enough so only I hear. "We'll have to hang out fer a while. If he don't come in tonight, we might have to try again later."

I grunt in response. Casey opens his beer, takes a swig, and makes a face. I chuckle, opening my own and downing half in one slow pull. Neither of us drink a lot. An occasional beer, sure, but we both know getting a buzz on can slow reflexes, making us vulnerable. I drink just enough to piss Leo off, not enough to get myself killed in some stupid street fight.

Casey stiffens and curses under his breath, and I immediately tense up, scanning the room. The girls are sashaying their way toward our table. Now, I'm not sayin' I've got a lot of experience with girls. Just the opposite, being a giant turtle and all. That don't mean I'm not aware of the fairer sex… I just know my chances with these girls are less than the poor guy they blew off earlier. I've got a better chance that they'll scream and run away than ask for my number.

Casey sits, pointedly ignoring them, peeling the label on his bottle, as they come closer.

"Hey, boys. Haven't seen you in here before."

"That's cause we ain't been in here before." Casey's still not looking at her. His knuckles are white.

"Well, maybe a couple of strangers like you would like to show a couple of girls like us a good time," says the other one. She's standing next to me now, her hip nearly brushing my shoulder.

I can see from the corner of my eye that she's leaning toward Casey, smiling, but the way her hips are swiveled toward me, I don't think it's him she's interested in. Her scent wafts over to me, an indefinable mixture of perfume and warmth, the smell of sex. I can feel my hands starting to shake, and draw my beer closer to my plastron, hiding my green fingers deeper in the shadows.

"Sorry ladies, I don't think so," says Casey gruffly. "Come on, Raph, we'd better be goin'."

"Yeah, Case, yer right," I growl, pretending indifference. "Nice meetin' ya, ladies."

The one next to me pouts, her lips puffing out slightly. What I wouldn't give to… Casey's moving toward the door. I sneak one last glance at the girls before ducking my head and following him.

You know, I love being a ninja. I love the ability to strike fear into my enemies by disappearing like a ghost into the shadows. I love fighting, beating down the guys who figure they can just take and never consider anything but their own selfish desires. But there's one thing I hate about the life we've chosen, one thing I'll never get used to.

Abstinence sucks.

***


	14. Raphael's Chapter 6 Eloquent: Donatello

**A/N: A short one I know, but sometimes you don't need a lot of words to say what needs to be said.  
I know Raph is often portrayed as rough and gruff and grunting rather than 'using his words' as we used to tell our kids, but I have heard him speak very articulately, and I think Don would notice, since he himself is a bit of a wordophile. :)  
**

**

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Drabbles Collide: Raphael**

_**Chapter 6 ~Eloquence: Donatello~**_

***

I am a watcher. I'm a scientist, that's what we do, watch. We watch patterns emerge, watch things take their natural course as life evolves and changes. Some things are predictable, even in the seeming chaos that is life.

Watching my family, I see patterns emerge. Leonardo will always take charge. He's always got a plan, and he's always thinking. Michelangelo will always be the one making a joke. If Raph's mad, Mikey's usually running, squealing like a girl, through the Lair. Splinter is the calm one. He gets angry, sure, but it's scary in a different way because it's controlled. Not like Raph.

When Raph's angry, he uses words I didn't even know he knew, let alone could use in a coherent sentence. He curses Mike out in such elaborate language, even I'm impressed, and that's saying something. Raph speaks anger fluently, the way Leo speaks Japanese. It's his second language, his pattern.

Raph, in his anger, is at his most eloquent.

***


	15. Raphael's Chapter 7 Laugh: Michelangelo

**A/N: The final in Raphael's series. I hope you've enjoyed the series as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**

**Next up, _Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello._**

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Drabbles Collide: Raphael**

_**Chapter 7 ~Laugh: Michelangelo~**_

_*******_

I think my favorite sound in the world, after the sound of the delivery guy's motor approaching with a pile of pizza… _mmmmm, pizza_… is my family's laughter. There's no greater feeling than hearing a startled chuckle from Leo, a knowing guffaw from Donny, the soft snicker from Sensei, or the rich baritone rumble that is Raphael, and knowing I was the one who got to them, who startled them into a smile with my brilliant rapier wit, or a pratfall or practical joke.

Don's the easiest to get to laugh. He's always in tune, interested in what's going on, so he's the quickest to pick up on a joke. Leo's a little harder, because he's so focused. Trying to get Leo to laugh during meditation is like trying to get a giggle out of one of the stone statues in Central Park. Tough crowd. When Sensei laughs, sometimes I don't get the joke until later, or not at all. It's hard to get Sensei to laugh on purpose, but sometimes I can do it when I'm not even trying.

Raphy, now it's easy to get a cheap laugh out of him. All I have to do is fall on my shell, hard enough to hurt. That always gets him to chuckle, but those are less fun for me. If I want a real laugh, I have to work a little harder. Even the Raph puppet I made in Starlee's weird machine thingy in 2105 didn't get him to smile, until it got destroyed. That made him laugh, but it was the same kind of laugh that I get out of him by hurting myself. Not as much fun for me as for him.

Once in a while, though, we have really good times. Times when we're all relaxing around the Lair, just goofing off and hanging out. You know, like a normal family. One that doesn't hafta fight ninja bad guys with mystical powers at their disposal, or insane government agents who want to cut them into pieces and see what color their insides are, or crazy horn-headed aliens who want to take the Earth apart in search of one particular robot who's not even here anymore.

Once in a while, during those times, I hear Raphy laugh, not 'cause somebody hurt themselves, or because Leo said something that made him mad and he's hiding it with a sarcastic guffaw, but a real, happy, relaxed laugh.

Yeah, that's my favorite sound. My brother's laugh.

***


	16. Donatello'sChapter1 Determined: Splinter

**A/N: An acrostic is a poem, or in this case, a series of drabbles, in which the first letter of each line makes up a word. _Drabbles Forever_ will consist of a series of acrostic drabble sets as follows: **

**Drabbles of Leo: Leonardo; Drabbles Collide: Raphael; Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello; The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo; Search for Drabbles: Splinter; and finally Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato.  
**

**DuckiePray, Melody Winters, Polaris'05 and Diva Danielle continue to rock OUT LOUD as betas. You gals can swim in my turtle tank ANY day!  
**

***winks* This one's for my favorite Donny fan, even if she does wear orange.  
**

* * *

_******Welcome to t**he third installment of the Drabbles Forever series: Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello _

_**Donatello... He is Determined. The turtles' Origins are a mystery he struggles to understand. There are some things Raph knows Donny will Never do. Sometimes Don wishes Mike weren't quite so Astute. The brothers argue over the relative benefits of Tails. Splinter struggles with the Education of an eager young mind. Leonardo reflects on Lineage, and Raphael knows there's always something new to Learn. Donny ponders the necessity of Oxygen.**_

* * *

**Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello **

_**Chapter 1 ~Determined: Splinter~**_

***

"Raphael, stand down."

I snap the order a bit more sharply than I mean to, driven by concern for my younger son. I want to rush to Donatello's side, to check him for injuries, to lift him up and comfort him, but in the dojo, I am his Sensei, and so I stand, impassive, as he slowly rises from the mat. He is frowning, but no tears darken his mask. Raphael stands back, smirking, watching his brother with triumph. I am about to give the order to end the match, when Donatello takes his stance, his han bo at the ready.

He is still too young for a full bo, but I believe bojitsu will be his path. He has the quick mind a staff requires, the ability to know where both ends are at once. He has instinctive balance and a strong instinct for _jin_, the value of benevolence, which makes the bo an ideal weapon, better suited for strong defense than aggressive attacks. Donatello, already, shows a reluctance to do harm. He has great courage and also restraint, which will, one day, make him a dangerous opponent and a valuable ally. Now, Raphael circles his brother. I allow the match to continue, despite my misgivings. Raphael is smiling now, recognizing the challenge in his brother's eyes. His attack comes swiftly. I frown as Donatello crashes to the floor. Once again I must repress the urge to rush to his side.

"Raphael!"

My son ignores my warning, returning to his crouch, waiting for his brother to rise. I am sure that this time Donatello will stand down, but no, he is getting to his feet, more slowly this time, but with something burning in his eyes, something I have seen before, which makes me proud and worried at the same time. He has been knocked down twice, but he is not defeated. He approaches warily this time, and dodges Raphael's initial attack, deflecting his brother's dulled practice sai, and returning with a kick to the shell that makes Raphael stagger.

Red flashes as Raphael spins, angry now that his brother has managed to break through his defense, aware that his rash action left him vulnerable, open to the blow Donatello delivered. He pounces like a cat, depending on his size and strength to defeat his weaker opponent. Donatello dodges, avoiding Raphael, only just. There is a slight hitch in his movements, and I frown. Something… something is not right.

Raphael growls, taking his crouch. He is truly angry now. He is using his anger, focusing his attacks. Donatello dodges a blow, a spin-kick, and a dragon punch. I watch closely, and notice an instant too late that his weight is shifted, his balance off, and I realize why.

"Donatello! Raphael! Stand down!"

The command snaps through the dojo like a whip, and for once even Raphael stops, looking to me with hurt and challenge burning in his amber eyes. I shake my head slightly, indicating that he is not at fault, but the match is over.

Later, as I wrap Donatello's foot tightly to help keep the swelling down, I glance up at my brown-eyed son. He is biting his lip, stoic, even with a broken ankle.

"My son," I chide him gently. "Why did you continue to spar, knowing you were injured?"

He looks at me, his brown eyes burning with determination.

"I wanted to win."

***


	17. Donatello's Chapter 2 Origin: Leonardo

**REVIEWERS PLEASE NOTE: I will be going out of town tomorrow morning and returning on Friday. I have a friend to post chapters while I'm gone, but I won't be here to answer reviews. I will answer them when I get back. Thanks so much for understanding. :)**

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**A/N: This one's set in the second TMNT movie-verse.**

**Don: "That's it? We were just… an accident? I guess I… I thought there'd be more to it than that."**

**

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Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello  
**

_**Chapter 2 ~Origin: Leonardo~**_

*****  
**

The question of our origins never bothered me much. I mean, we exist, right? How much more do we need to know, really? We're here, and that seems to be reason enough for us to do what we do. Everyone is here for a purpose. Ours is to survive, to fight, to do what we can to make the city that shelters us a better place, even if no one knows we exist.

Donatello is different, though. He always wants to _know_. He questions every detail. When we were kids, he made Sensei tell the story over and over, digging for facts, asking sharp questions, until he was sure he'd picked Father's memory clean of every last bit of information. And still, he wasn't satisfied.

Meeting Dr. Perry should've been the most exciting thing that ever happened to Donny. Finally, he had his answers. We were the result of a big company's careless dumping of toxic sludge. Go figure. Needless to say, Don was not impressed.

***

I find him sitting under the water tower, leaning back against the supports, with his bo resting across his knees.

"Hey."

"Hey, Leo. Sorry. Didn't mean to make you come looking for me." He shifts, as if to get up, but I hold up my hand, stopping him. He glances up at me, a sheepish half-smile crossing his face.

"You want to get the lecture over with before we go back?" he asks. He's watching me now with that searching expression, the one he gets when he's not quite sure if he's in trouble or not.

"It's not like you to wander off," I tell him. Seeing his expression drop into a wary _I know I'm in trouble now_ look, I kneel, reaching out to touch his knee.

"Hey. I was just worried about you, Don. Is everything ok?"

His eyes soften with relief. I swear sometimes he's easier to read than Mikey.

"I'm fine, Leo," he says, but he isn't looking at me now, and I know him better than that, so I wait.

"It's just… that stupid company. I mean, I want to be angry with them," he says suddenly. "It was irresponsible and stupid for them to allow something like that mutagen to get loose. Now the Shredder has those two… two… what_ever_ they are…" I nod, letting him vent. He looks at me, finally meeting my eyes. "But if they'd been more careful, we… we wouldn't exist."

"Don," I say, shaking my head.

"What?" There's a challenge in his tone, anger. I look at him steadily, and smile.

"You think too much."

His startled laugh tells me I've gotten through to him. I hold out my hand.

"Come on, Bro."

He nods, grabbing my wrist and letting me haul him to his feet.

"Yeah. Let's go home."

***


	18. Donatello's Chapter 3 Never: Raphael

**Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello**

_**Chapter 3 ~Never: Raphael~**_

_*****  
**_

For a turtle with a vocabulary the size of the Encyclopedia Britannica, there are some things Donny just never learned. Fer example, he still ain't realized that daydreamin' in the middle of a battle will get his shell waxed. He don't know that you can't make an interdimensional portal device outta some old parts he found at the dump. And he never seemed to figure out that turtles ain't supposed to be smart. Donny never was one ta go along wit' what anybody t'inks we should be.

There's some things Donny's never gonna do. He's never gonna get April ta see 'im as more than a little brother. He's never gonna go to college and I used ta think he'd never have the chance to change the world with his inventions. That was before we traveled a hundred years in the future and discovered what he's gonna do.

I'll tell ya somehin' else my little brother ain't never gonna do. He's never gonna get hurt while I'm around ta protect his shell. 'Cause maybe the world don't appreciate Donny, not yet, an' I might never understand him, not now, and not in the future, but no matter what else he is, genius or not, he's my little brother, and that ain't never gonna change.

***


	19. Donatello's Chapter 4 Astute: Donatello

**A/N: Yeah, I know, this one's just downright silly. Sorry, couldn't resist. Poor Donny. **

**

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**

**Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello**

_**Chapter 4 ~Astute: Donatello~**_

_*****  
**_

"Hey Donny, did ya know you can read some words both ways? Like 'racecar'. See, when you write it down, it doesn't matter if you write the letters backwards, it's the same word."

I glanced at my younger brother, surprised that he'd noticed something like that. "Wow, Michelangelo, that was a very astute observation."

"Yeah. I'm a real stoot," said Mike, beaming.

I suppressed an urge to groan. "No Mikey, not a 'stoot'. _Astute_. It means you showed good insight."

"What? Dude, of course I'm in sight. I'm standing right next to you."

A familiar, but still faint, throb settled somewhere behind my left temple.

"_Insight,_ Mike. You made a sound observation."

"Not me, Dude." Mikey giggled. "He who smelt it, dealt it!"

"Michelangelo." I sighed. "I meant that what you said was really smart. Don't ruin it, huh?"

"Heheh. I'm smarticle."

The pounding went from a faint tapping to the distant boom of a bass drum. "Mikey, you do realize that 'smarticle' isn't even a word, right?"

"What?"

"Nevermind."

***


	20. Donatello's Chapter 5 Tail: Michelangelo

**A/N: Ok, so I cheated just a little with this one. It's written from Don's perspective, but it's about Mike. So it still counts as Donatello's, right? ;)**

**

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Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello  
**

_**Chapter 5 ~Tail: Michelangelo~**_

_*****  
**_

I suppose it was inevitable. I brought up the diagram to explain to Mike why he doesn't have to be afraid to put his head under the water. Like regular turtles, we can hold our breath for an inordinate amount of time. I showed him the lung capacity of a normal turtle, and explained that though we've mutated so many of our characteristics are human-like, we gained some things by starting out as normal turtles.

It took a while, but I finally convinced Mike that our lungs can handle the water. Before long he was practicing holding his breath to see how long it would take to turn blue, much to Sensei's dismay. A green turtle turns a very strange shade of purple when he holds his breath too long. I think Splinter was hitting the sake pretty hard by the time Michelangelo got over that particular obsession. His next question was easier on Sensei. Too bad he decided I was the one to explain it.

"Donny, how come regular turtles have 'em and we don't?"

"We're more than half human, Mikey," I explained.

"So? We've got big lungs like regular turtles…"

"Well, not everything survived the mutation?"

His eyes got big then. "You mean…"

"_No_, Mike. Nobody died. I mean, we didn't keep all the characteristics of normal turtles, that's all."

"So we don't have…"

"No, Mikey."

"Awww."

"What would you do with one anyway?"

That had him stumped for a full minute. Then a slow grin spread over his face, and I felt a chill.

"Michelangelo…"

"What? I was just thinkin' I'd tell Raphy how mine was bigger than his, an' he'd get all jealous…"

"What're you on about, Chucklehead?" Raphael walked out of the dojo, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. He cracked his knuckles, smirking as he looked over my shoulder at the diagram I'd been showing Mike.

I suppressed a groan. As annoying as Mikey is, I usually try to keep them from fighting, to minimize the damage to our youngest brother.

"Nothing, Raph. Mikey's just being…"

"Mine'd be bigger'n yours," taunted Mike, pointing to the relevant anatomy on the diagram.

Raphael snorted. "In your _dreams_, maybe."

"Nuh-uh."

"Whatevah, Mike. I'm the biggest. Always have been. Always will be."

It was a lost cause. I picked up my book and the print out, and retreated back to the lab, leaving my brothers to argue over whose would be larger, if we'd mutated with tails. Sometimes my family is just weird.

***


	21. Donatello's Chapter 6 Education:Splinter

**A/N: As a mom of a very active 10 year old boy myself, I often feel Splinter's pain. However, I am SO GLAD my little prodigy isn't QUITE the genius Donny is, or I fear the world would be in very dire peril indeed.**

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****Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello**

_**Chapter 6 ~Education: Splinter~**_

_*****  
**_

By the time my sons had reached their fifth year, it was clear that Donatello's thirst for knowledge would soon outstrip my ability to teach him. He was curious about _everything_, in ways I could not always understand. Machinery fascinated him. At first I brought home a few items I thought might prove useful to us, but soon I found myself scavenging further to retrieve electronics for his busy fingers, if for no other reason than to spare our limited appliances his attention. If a machine could come apart, he would disassemble it. His ability to restore the mechanisms took a bit longer to develop.

Perhaps these early forays into engineering should have served as a warning to me, but when he managed to get a simple computer working, and later attached it to the internet, I was relieved rather than wary. Finally my son, at eleven, had a ready source of information to feed his insatiable curiosity. Some of the burden I felt for educating his young mind was lifted. Little did I know just how brilliant my young son truly was.

"Sensei?"

"Yes, Leonardo?" My eldest son hesitated, shifting uneasily. I scented anxiety on him. "What is it, Leonardo?"

"Well… I… it's about Donny."

Ah, concern for his brothers. At least once a month Leonardo came to me with an unease regarding his siblings. He is slowly learning to trust them, but I fear his position as future _jonin_ has set a heavy burden on his young shoulders.

"What troubles you, my son?"

"Well…" Leonardo squirmed, and my attention sharpened. Finally he looked into my eyes. "I… I thought maybe, since he's gonna graduate an' all, that we oughta have kind of… a party or something."

"Graduate?" I watched Leonardo's expression change from one of anxious hope to anxiety and… guilt?

"Oh! Oh… I… I thought you knew, Sensei… I mean, you let him have the computer and all…"

"Leonardo." I took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "What is your brother graduating _from_?"

"Umm, well, I…" Leonardo's eyes darted about like birds trapped behind glass, searching for an escape. I waited. "He's… umm… _gettin'-his-degree-from-MIT-Tech_," he said in a rush.

"He's _what?"_

It took an hour for Donatello to haltingly explain to me how he managed to enroll in college-level engineering classes through his precious computer. Once he was reassured that I did not plan to immediately disown him, he ventured to show me the notes of praise he'd gotten from the human professors who, had they only known their pupil was a twelve year old mutated prodigy, would likely have been divided on whether to grant him his doctorate or dissect him.

My emotions that day ranged from incredulity to anger to terror to a growing sense of pride, as I learned that, even here in our shadowed existence, my son had found a way to get an education.

***


	22. Donatello's Chapter 7 Lineage: Leonardo

**Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello**

_**Chapter 7 ~Lineage: Leonardo~**_

_*****  
**_

Next in line…

I didn't realize how difficult my going away would be for Donny, until Splinter asked what I thought of making him my _chunin_, the next in line for leadership of our clan. Passing over Raph wasn't an easy choice for Master Splinter, but he knew my brother's impulsive nature, influenced by Casey Jones, would lead Don and Mike into more scrapes, fights I wouldn't be there to lead them out of again. Raph's a fighter, not a thinker. He tends to leap first, oops after. Except the leaps we take don't leave a whole lot of room for mistakes. Oops might mean one of us comes home injured… or not at all.

I expected the transition back to be harder for Donny, the handing over of the reins to take some time and patience, but we stepped back into our old roles as if I'd never left. He seemed relieved to just be the younger brother again, looking to Raph and I for his lead. The only difference in him, after I came back, was a new hyper awareness of the rest of us.

When I left, Don was content to disappear into his lab for hours at a time. I swear, there were times the place could've caved in around him and he wouldn't have noticed. Now he always seems to know the precise moment Mike's deeply asleep enough to turn off the television monolith without waking him, and exactly what time Raphael comes sneaking in. The first night back, I woke from a light sleep, aware of a presence nearby, and realized Donatello was standing just outside my door.

Silent as always, I got up and went to see what he wanted.

"Everything ok, Donny?"

He just gave me a funny, shy smile. "Yeah, Bro. Everything's fine."

He clasped my shoulder for an instant before disappearing down the hall into his own room. I went back to bed, but it was a long time before I went to sleep.

Donatello has always been my little brother, but now… now he's something more. If anything happens to me, he is the next in line.

***


	23. Donatello's Chapter 8 Learn: Raphael

**A/N: The movie Raph refers to is The Blind Side, the true story of Micheal Oher. Awesome movie.**

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**"_Can April and I have some quiet? This is delicate work_."**

**–Donatello, in A Better Mousetrap**

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Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello  
**

_**Chapter 8 ~Learn: Raphael~**_

_*****  
**_

Who woulda thought, o' all my bros, Donny'd be da first one ta fall fer a girl?

Da Brainiac, da nerd, da one who, whenever Mike an' I got ta arguing over who was hotter, Jennifer Anniston or Jessica Biel, would jus' roll his eyes an' sigh an' remind us about our statistical chances o' findin' a girl who wouldn't scream, faint, or run away at the sight of us. An' then he'd go on about da components of attraction and why we, as giant bipedal turtles, had about as much chance o' gettin' a girl as a humpbacked woodchuck wit' a squint.

Aftah all dat, here's my little bro, leanin' with his head next to April's, close enough to breathe in the scent o' her shampoo, her shoulder brushin' his like a couple o' chums, like he ain't green an' she ain't as hot as da surface o' da sun, with those big jade eyes an' them hip-hugger jeans.

Not dat I'm interested o' course. April ain't my type. She's kinda mouthy, kinda pushy. An' she's a redhead. I've always been partial ta blondes. Nothin' wrong wit' redheads, mind ya, I just got a t'ing fer a girl with a little bit o' sass in da swing o' her hips, and butter-cream hair hangin' down on their shoulders. Yeah, like Sandra Bullock, in dat football movie me an' Leo watched last week, she's kinda old fer me, but if she had a younger sister, dat's da kinda girl I'd go for. April's more like a sister to me… to all o' us.

But sometimes, just sometimes, lookin' at da two o' dem, as thick as thieves, leanin' over the computer, I just hafta shake my head an' chuckle. 'Cause outta all of us, I never thought Donny'd be the one to fall in love so easy with a human, let alone a girl. I guess livin' wit' a genius brother, yer bound ta learn somethin' new every day.

***


	24. Donatello's Chapter 9 Oxygen: Donatello

**"_Um… You guys are sucking the oxygen right out of my personal space here_."**

**-Donatello in Search for Splinter, Part 1**

**_(And a big thank-you to GemiDonnie from DA for the help with tracking down that quote!_)  
**

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**Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello**

_**Chapter 9 ~Oxygen: Donatello~**_

_*****  
**_

Fire needs three things to burn. Fuel, a heat source, and oxygen. Set it loose in a forest, under the right conditions, and you have a raging inferno that clears mountainsides and leaves nothing standing in its wake.

In battle, I need three things to function; my brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Raph is our heat source. His passion burns so hot sometimes I swear his eyes could burn a hole through our enemies. He blazes a path for us, taking down opponents as if they're nothing more than tinder, to be consumed and brushed aside as if they were no more than fine, light ash blown on a wind.

Mikey, he's our fuel. His endless wisecracks and the need to keep him safe push us all just a little further than we think we can go. None of us are about to let Mike take a hit if we can block it. His constant running commentary and jokes give us a subtle edge over our enemies. If Mikey is cocky enough to taunt our foes, we know we are still winning.

Leonardo, he provides the oxygen. Without Leo's plans, my technology would be a useless pile of scrap. He lives and breathes strategy, builds the framework to hold our strengths. He sees how we fit together as a team, where our weaknesses are, and how each of us plays a part in the greater good of the family.

My brothers. My pillars. Without them, I am nothing. Together, we are unstoppable.

***


	25. MichelangeloChapter1Maniac:Michelangelo

**A/N: An acrostic is a poem, or in this case, a series of drabbles, in which the first letter of each line makes up a word. _Drabbles Forever_ will consist of a series of acrostic drabble sets as follows: **

**Drabbles of Leo: Leonardo; Drabbles Collide: Raphael; Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello; The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo; Search for Drabbles: Splinter; and finally Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato.  
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**DuckiePray, Melody Winters, Polaris'05 and Diva Danielle remain the most amazing betas a gal could have!  
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_******Welcome to t**he fourth installment of the Drabbles Forever series: The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo _

_**Perhaps less of a **_**Maniac**_** than you might expect, Mike learns a lesson in **_**Invisibility**_**. He is Leo's **_**Constant**_** in an otherwise chaotic world. In his eyes, Raphael once glimpsed **_**Hell**_**. Don enjoys his company**_** Early**_** one morning, and Mikey reflects on the nature of**_** Light**_**. He always needs his **_**Ani**_**. Leonardo's protection is only **_**Natural**_**, even if his brother is a **_**Goofball**_**.**_** Energy**_** is Mike's middle name, and he will never be**_** Licked****. Orange**_** is his color, and this is his story.**_

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**A/N: The book, Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, won a Newbery Award, one of the highest awards attainable for American children's literature, in 1991, and went on to win several other prestigious awards. I highly recommend it.**

**"_Legends are made, not born_."**

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The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo**

_**Chapter 1 Maniac: Michelangelo**_

_*******_

I think we were about six when Donny read Maniac Magee to me under the covers with a flashlight. Donny was the first of one of us to learn to read English. He taught Sensei, who taught the rest of us. Don always liked books, always liked to read, but he goes for nonfiction usually, or really complex geeky books like Lord of the Rings. Back in the day, though, Don used to read to me sometimes, to practice his English. I think that's when I fell in love with books.

We read Maniac every night for over a month. The chapters were short, like little stories. I learned that humans really are afraid of what they don't understand, like Sensei tells us. Sometimes they're even afraid of each _other_, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I mean, I'm not afraid of other turtles. Of course the only other turtles I know are my brothers, so of course I'm not afraid of them. Except Raph sometimes. Or Don when he's really mad. You don't want to mess with Donny. Especially early in the morning, before he's had his coffee.

I remembered that story for a long time. It was one of those stories that get under your shell and stay with you, popping into your memory at the weirdest times. Like now, as I'm inking the lines for the Turtle Titan comic I'm working on. I remember Jeffrey Magee working on Cobble's Knot, picking it apart a tiny strand at a time, and it makes me smile. Sometimes my brothers tease me about doing what I do, drawing comics and writing stories. Leo says it's a good hobby but I should focus on training. Raph just snorts, but I've caught him looking at the drawings from my Nightwatcher Journal a couple times, smirking to himself. Donny doesn't get it at all. He thinks I'm just a kid, 'playing around' as he puts it. None of them get it. Not really.

I dip the pen in the inkwell again. I could use ball-points, but I can't get the different lines that way, wider at the back of TT's shell to indicate the strength of the curve, a bit narrower around his face to show off his rugged good looks, so I use Sensei's calligraphy brushes for the final inking. Some day, I'm going to send these drawings out to an art director. That's the person at a publishing company who buys the stuff they print from the illustrators. April told me so. She says I should keep drawing. I knew there was something special about April, the first time I saw her, cornered by those mouser robots in the sewer. She was the first person who saw past our green skin and shells. She was the first human who ever accepted us, who ever wanted to be our friend.

Knowing April makes me think that Maniac Magee had the right idea. I can't go running through town like he did, or sleeping in a different place every night, first in a white family's house, then in a black family's, until they all learn to get along, but I can draw. And I can write stories. And someday, maybe I can find more friends like April. 'Cause the world doesn't have to be about hating everything that's different from you. Things can change. One drawing, one story, one person at a time.


	26. Mike Chapter 2 Invisibility: Splinter

**A/N: First, a huge, glomping, cuddly hug of THANK YOU!! To my friend Danni for posting chapters for me for an entire week! And for a good laugh with her help with reviews! Love you, Darlin!**

**Next... It seems appropriate to include this amongst Mikey's drabbles: I am honored, and deeply humbled, to have been voted into second place in the Stealthy Stories 2009 FanFic competition for the Romance Category for _Mikey in Love_. Thank you so very much, dear Readers, it was a pleasant shock to be nominated. Big congrats to the other winners in the category, SwoonsAndSais for her fic,_ Sandalwood, _which took first place, and also to Leonardo Mystic for_ Perfect Enemy_ and Nineteenth Soujah for_ Samsara_!  
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**There are too many amazing fics amongst the winners to list them all here, but a big Congrats to you all!! While there wasn't room in the comp for all the amazing fics of 2009, I saw some of my favorite fics in the listings and in the winner's slots! WHOOT! Congrats to you all, and here's to a great year of fic in 2010!  
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**Last but not least, Happy Easter!**

**And without further ado, I give you... Mikey.**

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**The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo**

_**Chapter 2 Invisibility: Splinter**_

_*****  
**_

I was sitting in my chair in the main part of our home, enjoying the rare peace that comes only in the silent hours near dawn. My Turtles were safely home and had retired to their rooms. I first noticed the shadow when it moved near the entrance to our Lair, a slight rustle of cloth giving away its presence. The faintest of frowns creased my brow, but I sat, unmoving, my teacup cradled in my hands, and waited.

The form moved through our Lair, silent on the concrete save for the faintest scratching of the fabric. It moved cautiously across the room. I kept my eyes half-closed to hide the fact that I was indeed awake and aware of everything around me. If the prowler spotted me sitting here, I wanted him to think me no threat, to come closer so that I could subdue him quickly and without a struggle.

I drew deep, slow breaths, imitating sleep as the figure, visible only as a deeper darkness in the room, crept closer. When the shadow neared my chair, I sprang, leaping forward, wrapping my arms around him in an unbreakable grip. There was a cry and a thump as we landed on the floor, rolling to soften the impact. I had him pinned when he surprised me with a wriggling move that nearly allowed him to slip from my grasp. Instinctively I reached for his throat, my claws just brushing his skin in warning, but I stayed my hand, not wishing to draw blood.

"Eeeep!" The form wriggled for a moment before relaxing in surrender. "Ok, Ok! I give!"

I allowed myself the smallest of smiles before rising, removing my weight from my son's plastron. Michelangelo waited until I was standing before scrambling to his feet. At twelve, he was already strong, though his muscles and skills had not yet developed fully. I turned to the low table and lit a candle, holding it up to better illuminate my opponent. He gave me a rather sheepish grin.

"Guess I lose, huh Sensei?"

"Indeed, Michelangelo." I looked at him, curious. "My son, why were you wearing a blanket as a cloak?"

He fidgeted. "I… thought it'd make me more invisible? You know, like, hide my shape."

I could not repress a sigh. "Michelangelo…"

"Sorry Sensei." His response was automatic, his eyes downcast.

"It was very… inventive, my son. However," I reached out, brushing my fingers against the material, imitating the sound I'd heard earlier. "The rustle of the cloth gives you away." Michelangelo's eyes lit up with understanding, and finally I knew he'd learned the important lesson of silence.

Teaching Michelangelo is always an adventure. He has a need to _experience_ the concept. Trying to instruct him with words is like pouring water down a dry well. I must instruct him through practice, becoming very creative in his training, but I cannot be remiss. For his own safety in a world that will not understand or accept him, it is necessary for my son to master the ninja's art of_ Invisibility_.

***


	27. Mike's Chapter 3 Constant: Leonardo

**A/N: In Search for Splinter, Part 2, Michelangelo plants a tracker on the Guardian's sword, which eventually leads the TMNT to the TCRI building.**

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The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo  
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_**Chapter 3 Constant: Leonardo**_

_*****  
**_

Sometimes things change. Like when we lost our first Lair, our home for the first fifteen years of our lives, to Baxter Stockman and his insatiable concrete-eating mouser robots. Like when Sensei made me _jonin_, the next in line for leadership of our clan. Like when he went missing and it felt as though our family would fall apart, sifting away through my fingers like sand.

Some things never change. Like Mikey. He is the one constant in our lives, the one person I can always count on to be a barometer in any situation. As long as Mikey's making jokes, we're winning, and everything's going to be ok, even if our position looks bad.

When Raph gets brooding and moody, I can count on Mike to tease him into blowing up, which lets off a lot of his steam and keeps him from exploding into rash action that could take us all down. When Donny's feeling pressured by our expectations and reliance on his technical skills in a tense situation, Mike's wisecracks diffuse the tension and gets him to smile, freeing him up to focus on the task at hand.

When we decided to lure the mysterious man who called himself our ally to what was left of Shredder's tower, it was Mike who put the "kick me" sign on the dummy of Shredder Don threw together. He also insisted on being the one to plant the tracker, putting him directly in danger of being sliced in half by the Guardian's sword. I was against the plan from the start, but Mike's instincts are good. Somehow he knew the man's sword would stop inches from his plastron; he knew somehow that he would pull his strike. Either that or he was just relying on the incredible luck that seems to follow him every step of the way.

With so many things changing all the time, with allies and enemies coming and going, and times when we can't tell them apart, Mikey is the one constant, the one thing I can count on to never change, to always bounce back with a wisecrack and a ready smile. Leading my brothers through whatever disasters life throws at us is my job, my responsibility, but Mikey is the one who adapts, who grieves the hardest and recovers the fastest, who, in the end, reminds us that as long as we're together, everything really is going to be ok. I might be the "Fearless" leader, but it's Mike who soothes my deepest fears most often, just by being there, by constantly being himself.

Everyone needs something constant in their lives. Even me.

***


	28. Michelangelo's Chapter 4 Hell: Raphael

**A/N: The epic fight described in this one is, of course from Meet Casey Jones.**

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The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo  
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_**Chapter 4 Hell: Raphael**_

_*****  
**_

"Ha! Nice fall, Raphael. Just come on back if you want some more of that."

Mike'd been hyper all morning. We'd all been on edge after the Mouser attack and the move to a new place. Mike was wound a little tight. Honestly, so was I.

I climbed up out of the pile of stuff that'd crashed down on my shell, glaring at my smart-aleck younger brother. "You've had it, Mikey."

He gave me a self-satisfied look and pretended to brush off his knuckles on his plastron. I smiled. When Mike gets full of himself, he's easier to take down.

I swung into a flying kick, ready to end this. "Bro or no, you've got to _go._"

He dodged, and started trash talking in typical Mikey fashion.

"Good reverse punch. Nice round-house kick too, Raph. Ha. Not a bad dragon-punch either, but… you're just a little too…" He dodged so all my strikes hit empty air. "Slow!" Michelangelo's grin burned into me like a brand. "Actually, you're _much_ too slow." He was really getting into it now, as Don, Leo, and Splinter came over to watch our spar.

Familiar anger rose up inside of me. I was not losing to my little brother. _Not_. I'm the biggest, the strongest. I was not going to lose this fight. I came at him like a pile driver and met him with a punch that threw him back against the wall. He was on his feet before I could drive the point home.

"You think you're better than me? _Do you?_" I yelled, furious. He did. I could see it in his eyes. He thought he was _better than me._

"No. You're just too cocky, Raph," he taunted, breaking the grapple and dodging my punch. He used my momentum, kicking me in the back of the shell, throwing me into the small table. It smashed, pieces flying everywhere.

Mike was really playing it up to his audience.

"Winner, and still Champion, Michel_-angelo!_" he cheered, walking away from me. Toward them. Leaving me alone on the floor, defeated, humiliated…

"_No!_"

I couldn't see anything but my opponent walking away, crowing. I couldn't hear anything but the roar of red hot rage in my ears. Snatching up a pipe, I surged forward, my only thought; to shut him up. My only urge: to _win_.

The next thing I knew, my arm was trapped in a vice. Voices…

"Raphael! Have you lost your _mind?_"

"Are you ok, Mikey? What were you _thinking_, Raph?"

"I… Leo… Mikey…" My chest felt tight. I couldn't breathe.

"Ah, my son! So angry. Rage is a monster that will destroy you from within. Raphael. A true warrior finds balance in all things."

My father's voice… not the harsh reprimand I deserved, but wisdom and strength and peace, sense, reaching through the storm and clearing my head like the sun burning through a fog. My baby brother, looking at me with an expression I've never seen in his eyes before. Fear.

"Master Splinter, I… I… I uh… I've gotta get some air."

I wake up from the nightmare again, sweating. That day, the face of a monster, stared back at me for an instant from my little brother's terrified eyes. I saw what my own anger could cost me if I don't keep it under control. That day, I looked into Mike's eyes and saw Hell.

***


	29. Michelangelo's Chapter5 Early: Donatello

**The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo**

_**Chapter 5 Early: Donatello**_

_*******_

"Come on, Mike. Let's go." I poked my younger brother's bridge, knowing he was ticklish just below his arm. I was determined not to be late.

"Five more minutes, Leo," he grumbled, tugging the blanket tighter around himself and snuggling into the pillow.

"Come on, Mikey, get up," I prodded, nudging him again.

"Huh? What? How come, Donny?"

"Come on, Bro. We're gonna miss it if you don't get up. Let's go."

Still grumbling, Michelangelo sat up, stumbling a bit as he tried to tuck his nunchucks into his belt and tie his mask. He yawned, giving me an excellent view of his tonsils.

Fifteen minutes later we were on the roof across from the water tower, huddled inside an open-topped oversized box I'd built out of plywood. The city was at its darkest here, and it's the only place where you can get a really good view of the stars, anywhere in New York. The box helps block out any stray light, allowing us to actually see the stars.

"How come I had to get up so early, Donny?" whined Mike, shivering slightly in the cool morning air. "We're not even patrolling tonight."

"Because Leo said I couldn't go alone," I told him irritably, adjusting my small telescope.

"How'd _I_ get elected for Donny-sitting duty?" he grumbled.

"You said you'd come with me if I fixed your game system, remember?"

"Oh. Hey, what's that?" He pointed.

I glanced up, distracted. "That's the north star, Mike."

"Oh. What's that one?"

"The big dipper."

"Hey!"

I sighed. "Not _you_, Mikey. The constellation. The grouping of stars. See? They kind of look like a big spoon." I went back to adjusting the calibration.

"Oooooh." He was quiet for all of a minute.

"How come the moon's gray? Last week it was yellow."

I hesitated, about to launch into an explanation of atmospheric gases and their effect on light. I caught myself just in time.

"Because moon dust is gray."

"Oh. Hmm. I wonder what moon dust is like. I mean, is it all sandy? Or…"

"It's actually really soft, Mike. Like baby powder."

"Really? Cool. So the moon smells like a baby's butt?"

I snorted. "No. Moon dust smells kind of like gunpowder because it has a high sulfur content."

"Donny?"

"Yes, Michelangelo?"

"I'm glad you're my brother."

I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. "Yeah, Mikey, me too."

***


	30. Michelangelo'sChapter6Light:Michelangelo

**The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo**

_**Chapter 6 Light: Michelangelo**_

_*****  
**_

Light… it's always fascinated me. It shatters when it bounces off stuff, coming back in pieces that make color… the rich green of skin, (at least _our_ skin), the soft, dark burgundy of Splinter's robe, the glint of silver off Leo's katana. The blood-red of Raph's mask, the deep blue of Leo's, the purple of Donny's, all tend to blend into the shadows more than my orange, absorbing the light instead of bouncing it back.

Light comes in so many different forms. Donny's flashlight, flickering off the sewer tunnel walls, makes them look glittery where the water drips down, less spooky. When he has to turn it off though, we're shut back into the black, and usually we're hiding in some side-tunnel or braced among the pipes on the ceiling because we've heard voices in the tunnels, humans invading our territory without even knowing we're there. That's when I miss the light the most. It doesn't come back on again until we know we're alone, and safe again. Then it means security, means our family is safe once more.

Splinter says as ninjas, the shadows our our friends, but without light there are no shadows for us to hide in. Besides, light can be friendly, too. The comforting glow of the television monolith helps me sleep at night, when the Lair is quiet and there's nothing but the snores of my brothers and the memories of the horror movie I just got done watching, where monsters lurk in the shadows and corners. Light chases them away, reveals their presence. I know it's silly for me to be scared of the monsters in the shadows. I am a ninja. Splinter says the shadows hide us, and light reveals our presence, but I can't help it. After a six-hour movie marathon, Dude, _anybody_ would be worried about zombies and werewolves lurking in the dark.

I like natural light the best, light from the sun and the moon and even from candles. Lamplight is boring, too steady. Candlelight flickers, dancing on the wick and getting excited about the slightest breeze. Sunlight filters down through the sewer grates, making funny patterns on the concrete floor. Moonlight creates the darker spaces for my brothers and me to fade into as we race across the rooftops at night.

I know Splinter says light is dangerous to us, but how can something so beautiful be dangerous?

*******


	31. Michelangelo's Chapter 7 Ani: Splinter

**A/N: Oh, come on it's MIKEY. I had to get in at least ONE fluffy chibi story, didn't I? heh**

**_Ooto-chan _literally translates to "Daddy"_  
Ani_ means "(my) big brother"  
_Oniisan _means "(someone else's) big brother"  
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**The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo**

_**Chapter 7 ~Ani: Splinter~**_

*******

"_Ooto-chan!_" I heard the cry and sighed, shifting from my mat. Michelangelo had recently come into a habit of having nightmares. I had not had a full night's sleep in over a week. Ever since a sewer worker had come closer than normal to our Den, and nearly discovered us, Michelangelo's sleep had been disturbed by these visions.

Every night this week I have gone to him, and he has cried into my robe, whimpering about humans coming to take him and his brothers away. I soothe him as best as I am able. I do not wish to remove his fear of humans entirely. The human world is hostile to creatures like ourselves, creatures who do not fit their ideas of "normal". We are neither fully human, nor are we animals, and so we have no place in their world. I teach my sons the ancient arts of ninjitsu so they will be able to conceal and defend themselves. Our place is among the shadows. Michelangelo must learn to face his fears, to see humans as a danger, yes, but not monsters to be feared with such intensity. Not all humans would be our enemies, but even those who might be our allies would not understand us.

I move through the Den, my claws silent on the concrete floor. The room my sons share is just a small, bricked off access tunnel. It is a secure place, easily defensible should the unthinkable happen and we be discovered, and small enough to be readily filled with heat from their bodies huddled together as they sleep. Being underground has distinct advantages. The temperatures this far below never drop below fifty-five degrees, so additional heat is usually unnecessary.

As I approach, Michelangelo's whimpers grow more insistent, and I quicken my step, anxious that he should not waken the others.

"What the matter, Mikey?" I hear Donatello's sleepy voice. My instinct is to rush in, before Michelangelo disturbs his other brothers as well, but something makes me pause a moment outside the curtain that covers their doorway.

"I'm scared, Donny," sobs my youngest son. "The humans are gonna get us!"

"Nah, Mikey, Sensei's here, in the next room. Those humans would have to get past _him_ first. You know that's not gonna happen."

"What if the humans get Sensei?" By the shuffling sounds, I knew Michelangelo had moved to snuggle close to his brother. Twitching the curtain aside slightly, I peered into the darkness. A smile tugged at my mouth as I saw Michelangelo curled up to his brother's plastron, using him as a pillow. Donatello's arm was curled around his shoulders. He yawned, snuggling down to rest his chin on Michelangelo's head.

"I've got my han bo, Mikey. Don't worry. I beat _Raph_ in practice yesterday. No humans are going to get past me. Even if they did, they'd still have to get by Leo and Raph. Don't worry. We'll protect you. Now go to sleep, ok?"

"Ok, Donny." Michelangelo cuddled close to his brother. Donatello wrapped his free arm around Michelangelo's shell.

"I love you_, Ani_," whispered Michelangelo.

"I love you too, Mikey."

I smiled, and slipped away to retire to my own chamber. Michelangelo would be fine. He had his _oniisan_ to look after him.

*******


	32. Michelangelo's Chapter8 Natural:Leonardo

**A/N: No particular episode… just a slice-of-life aftermath of a fight. Please don't freak out, I know it sounds bad but I don't write death-fic. Leo will be fine.**

**_Otooto_ means "(my) little brother"  
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The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo  
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_**Chapter 8 ~Natural: Leonardo~**_

_*****  
**_

I am floating, peaceful. From somewhere far off, I hear Michelangelo's voice. My little brother… why does his voice sound so wrong? Why is he shouting?

Mikey never shouts… He squeals, he guffaws. He laughs so loud I'm sure people aboveground can hear him. He screams like a girl when Raph chases him or Don gets that look in his eye, the one that says he needs a test subject for something unpleasant, and the slowest brother is going to get elected as guinea-turtle.

In joy, Michelangelo is loud, exuberant, uncontainable. I've heard him screech with joy over beating his high score on a video game. When he's feeling cocky, which is most of the time, he makes wisecracks and bad jokes. In fear, he clings to one of us and sometimes the tiniest of whimpers will escape him, but I don't think I've ever heard his voice so harsh, so rasping, so hoarse with anguish.

_Don't, Mikey… don't…_

I feel something splash on my arm, like warm rain, and wonder if I'm bleeding again. Or worse, if one of my brothers is bleeding. I want to sit up, to check them for injuries, but I feel so heavy, as if a lead blanket is weighing my limbs down. More voices… Raphael's familiar growl… Don's voice… he's worried… his voice goes high like that when he's afraid or upset. Sensei… Father… He sounds worried… calling me… calling my name?

_I'm here, Father… I'm coming… I'm trying…_ but I feel so heavy, so tired.

Images sift through my mind… One of Shredder's Elite, coming at… Mikey.

_I lunged, knowing I was too far away, knowing I would be too late to stop the naginata aimed at my little brother's head, knowing I couldn't block fast enough… The _thud_, the strange sensation of seeing blood spray, knowing it was my own, but feeling no pain… and then… nothing. _

Until now. The voices are louder now, closer… surrounding me, pulling me back.

"_Leo? Leo, can ya hear me, Bro?"_

"_He took a bad hit, Sensei. He's got a concussion but there's no sign of skull fracture…"_

"_Leo? Leo, Bro, come on, wake up. You can't leave me, Leo. You can't. Who's gonna keep Raphy off my shell? Come on, Bro, wake up…"_

"_Leonardo. My son. Return to us."_

My family, I can feel their spirits searching me out, pulling me back to the surface. The pain grows from a dull throbbing to a burning, raging inferno… I can hardly breathe… Splinter's hand on my brow… I focus on his touch, and the pain eases enough so I can catch my breath, concentrate, putting it apart, containing it. Gathering my strength, I force my eyelids to respond. Light pierces and I flinch, but keep trying until I can open my eyes and focus on my family's faces.

Sensei is standing next to me, his hand still on my forehead. Next to him is Don. He's busy wrapping my arm where that last tanto strike got a bit closer than I'd expected. Raph must be on my other side. He's outside my line of vision but I can hear the hiss of his released breath, and a heavy hand lands on my shoulder. I am faintly aware of Mike holding my other hand in both of his, clinging.

"Welcome back, Bro," Raph growls.

"Thanks." My voice is harsh, rasping, and I have to force myself not to cough.

"Why'd you do it, Leo?" Michelangelo is standing next to Donny, his blue eyes glittering with unshed tears.

"My… little brother…" I manage, forcing my stiff face into a faint smile.

"You're not mad at me?"

I move my head, not quite a shake, and try to give him my best big-brother glare. I'm sure it's not very impressive just now, but his eyes widen in understanding, and he manages a grin. I feel some of the terrible, trembling tension go out of him.

_Oh Mikey… How could you think I'd be mad at you?  
_

It's my job to protect you, _otooto_. It's only natural.

*******


	33. Michelangelo's Chapter9 Goofball:Raphael

**Although the content of this chapter does not seem appropriate to the subject, I want to take a moment to remember the 29 miners who lost their lives in a recent accident. The ripples of a tragedy like this one spread far and wide, and have come to touch the shores even here at fanfiction, to the life of one of our own. Kat, my prayers are, as always, with you and your family, and the families of those who were lost.**

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**A/N: The dialogue and incident references in this one are from City at War, Parts 1, 2 and 3. Raph also refers briefly to the episode in which Agent Bishop captured the Turtles and had Mike strapped to a dissection table in Worlds Collide. (Thanks to Danni for the episode title)  
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The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo  
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_**Chapter 9 ~Goofball: Raphael~**_

_*****  
**_

"_Some guys just can't take a compliment."_

Mikey. My goofball brother. In the middle of a fight, and he's cracking jokes as if we're playing a game of touch-football with these nuts in the black uniforms, instead of fighting for our lives. Never mind that Leo just pulled me out of a burning bus, or that Don fried one of Stockman's robots with a pair of live power lines, Mike's laughing it up, as usual.

We were afraid we'd lost him there for a while, when he took off across the rooftops with a buncha Foot chasin' 'im, but when two more of Stockman's robots showed up, Leo, Donny and I were pinned down. We couldn't go after our little bro. Then the PD's showed up and started shootin' up the place… Even Don got scared.

_"Guys, we're in over our heads. We've gotta get out of here!"_

Donny's the level headed one. When he sounds like that, his voice high with anxiety, ya know it's time to haul shell outta there, but we had no place to go. It was lookin' bad there for a minute. Then, wit' a typical Mikey entrance, April's van comes flying up the street, swerving all over, horn blaring… The door swings open and there's Mike. Not a scratch on him, big stupid grin on his face like he's havin' a day at the water park, not savin' our shells, which, I might add, were about to get shot off by those Purple Dragon scumbags.

"_Anybody call a cab?" _

I swear he didn't shut up until Karai blew the floor right out from under us and had Leo pinned with a tanto at his head. He got quiet after that, at least for a while, but he made up for stoppin' his mouth wit' spinnin' those chucks. Little goofball was kickin' the crud outta Foot and PD's alike when the action all went down in the Shredder's old tower.

That's Mikey for ya. When he ain't talkin', he's movin', an' if he ain't movin', you can bet yer shell he's talkin'. It's when he ain't doin' either that my heart stops beatin' in my chest, 'cause Mike never stops, even when he's sleepin'.

Even on Bishop's dissection table he was makin' wisecracks, even though I could see he was scared outta his shell. The next t'ing we knew, though, he fought his way loose an' kicked Bishop across the room, givin' us a chance to fight our way outta there.

Being the goofball of the group gives him an advantage sometimes; people don't always take him seriously. That's a mistake. Goofball or not, you should always take a ninja seriously.

Even if he's Mikey.

*******


	34. Michelangelo's Chapter10Energy:Donatello

**The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo**

_**Chapter 10 ~Energy: Donatello~**_

_*****  
**_

In 1854, a Scottish physics expert came up with the idea of _potential _energy, energy something has because of the configuration of its parts; that is, _stored_ energy. He had a theory that energy never disappears; it just changes forms. My brother, Michelangelo, would've made this guy's decade, by being the perfect representation of his theory. Mikey is the perfect model of energy.

First, there's potential energy. That's energy at rest. In repose, Mike looks as innocent as a baby. Even as a teenager, he's never really lost that silly grin and way of letting everything he feels show. You never have to guess at what Mikey's thinking. One look at his expression, and you can almost always make an accurate guess. Asleep, his motor-mouth stops running (usually), and his face just relaxes into perfect innocence. You can almost believe he's as sweet as he looks.

That is, until you remember the florescent-orange "slow moving vehicle" sign still super-glued to the back of Raph's shell, or the bucket of flour meant for Leo that took Master Splinter two hours to wash out of his fur. Water, flour and fur are not a good combination. If Mike ever thought of pulling the "bucket over the door" gag again, the memory of the number of flips Sensei assigned him quelled the temptation.

Then there's Mikey's kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is motion, movement, activity. Kinetic energy_ is_ Michelangelo.

Every waking moment, Mikey is on the move. From the instant he pops up out of bed in the morning, until he dozes off on the couch in front of the television monolith at night, Mike never _stops_ moving. If he's not talking, he's running, dashing around the Lair like a rogue pin-ball out of control. If he's not running, he's probably on wheels, and that's when you need your ninja skills of dodging and avoidance the most. Don't have ninja skills like us? Too bad. Mike might avoid smashing into you. He usually avoids collisions with April and Casey when they come to visit. The key word in that sentence is "usually". It's a good thing Casey's head is harder than Mike's shell.

Mike's energy is most evident in battle. His nunchucks spin so fast you can hardly see them, and none of us are as fast as our baby brother. He might not be able to throw the strongest strikes; that would be Raph, or plan our strategy around the big picture and what our enemies are likely to do next like Leo, or pull tech solutions out of a duffle bag like me, but there's no denying Michelangelo is hardest to hit, because he never stops moving. I mean _never_. Even when he's standing still, he's bouncing on the balls of his feet, ready to leap off in such an unexpected direction the enemy is left scratching their heads for those crucial seconds it takes for his 'chucks to whip through the air and take them out.

If our family was a machine, Leo would be the computer processor, planning how best to execute our every move. Raph would be the structure, the edifice supporting us. I would be the sprockets and gears, the bits that mesh with everything else to move it forward. Michelangelo, he's the fuel, the potential.

Mikey is our energy.

*******


	35. MichelangeloChapter11Licked:Michelangelo

**A/N: Oh Mikey. *shakes head***

**It's been a few chaps, hasn't it, since I sent out big lovin' hugs to my beta-readers: DuckiePray, Polaris'05, Diva Danielle and Melody Winters, this one's for you. Love ya gals! Readers, be sure to check out their epic fics as well... Duckie's _Fearless_, Diva's _Paradox and Enigmas_, Polaris'05's _Seasons_, and Melody Winter's _Cherry Blossoms_ are all amazing recent fics, well worth a quick dash through the search feature, not to mention the many other amazing ongoing fics! Love drabbles? FairDrea has a drabble series going on, _The Meaning of You_, and I've seen a couple other amazing drabble series as well. Check 'em out, leave those hardworking writers feedback... Share the love, folks. :) Readers and reviewers, as well as the writers, are the lifeblood of the fandom.**

**Ok enough from me... let's hear from our favorite dude... Battle Nexus Champion and all around amazing guy... Michel-angelo!  
**

**

* * *

****The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo**

_**Chapter 11 ~Licked: Michelangelo~**_

_*****  
**_

I dash across the Lair, three steps ahead of my ugly older brother, as usual.

"I had it _first_, I yell, ducking and swerving left to avoid his grab.

"Mikey, I'm warnin' ya…"

"It's mine!"

"No way!"

Agilely, I dodge, turning on a dime and ducking under Raph's arm, taking off across the main room. The couch gets in the way so I vault over it. Forgot about the low table on the other side. _Crash_. Oops.

"For a turtle who's supposed to be the _best,_" I taunt, "You sure are slow, Raphy." I see him lunge and dance aside, changing directions fast to avoid Donny, who's come out of his room. Probably to watch me whoop Raph's but in our little game of catch-me-if-you-can.

"Michelangelo! What happened to the coffee table?"

Or not.

"I umm…" I slide on a magazine that carelessly tumbled off the coffee table and landed right where I was running, "kinda fell on it. It was Raphy's fault, Don. He's chasin' me again!" I flip away as Raph reaches for my mask tails, just avoiding his grab. Ha! The Turtle Titan, Battle Nexus Champion, triumphs again!

Raph looks pretty mad now. I hear him growl and I 'eep', taking off up the stairs toward the one place I can find refuge and sanctuary. Leo's room.

"MICHELANGELO!" The bull-turtle roars behind me, coming up the stairs like a runaway herd of elephants. Have I mentioned that Raph could stand to lose a few pounds? His head's gettin' kinda fat.

When I burst through Leo's door, he looks up from the magazine he was reading. He's sitting on the bed, his legs crossed. He doesn't look thrilled to see his most favorite youngest brother, but I know he loves me enough to stop Raph from pounding my shell in, so I dive onto the bed, scrambling to fit my shell behind him.

"Hiya Leo," I gasp. "Whatcha reading?" I try my best smile, but Leo's still frowning. Sometimes Fearless has no sense of humor.

"What did you do _now,_ Michelangelo?"

I could hear Raph stomping toward Leo's room, and knew I had to get Big Brother on my side before he showed up so I started talking fast.

"Well, Raphy was kinda watchin' some totally lame and completely dumb buncha sweaty guys throwin' each other around in a ring on tv, so I kinda…"

The door flung open, bouncing off the wall with a _bang_. Poor door.

"The little twerp stole da remote an' changed da channel an' if I miss da end o' Wrestle Mania Five, Mikey, I swear I'm gonna take off yer shell an' use it fer a shuriken target!" roared Raphael.

"Raph…"

"Don't you _Raph_ me, Fearless. I'm gonna take 'im _apart!_"

Leonardo turns to look at me. I give him my best innocent stare, and even work up just the littlest quiver of my bottom lip. Leonardo sighs, rolling his eyes. I guess "the Look" isn't as effective now that we're not six anymore.

"Give him the remote, Mikey," says Leo in his stern, no nonsense Leader voice.

"But I don't _wanna_ watch wrestling…"

"_Mikey._"

"Ok, FINE." I start to stand up, to give up my prize, admitting defeat, when an insane, crazy, dangerous idea comes into my head. I start to hold out my hand, then, with cat-like ninja reflexes, bring it up to my face.

Raph and Leo both stare, shocked. Ha! I win! I can't help the huge grin I feel spreading over my face.

Raph turns away, defeat written in the slump of his shoulders and the disgusted look he gives me.

"Fine. Keep it, then."

Leonardo just shakes his head. "Michelangelo…"

"What?"

"I can not believe you just_ licked_ our television remote."

"Hey, Leo, sometimes a Turtle does what a Turtle has to do."

Heh. I win.

*******


	36. Michelangelo's Chapter12 Orange:Splinter

**A/N: It's hard to believe we've reached the end of Mike's drabbles. It was quite an experience, writing Mikey this way. Taking a trip through his hyperactive life is rather like perching on his shoulder while he goes boarding through the sewers; you wonder if you'll get out alive, but at the same time, it's one exciting ride!**

**For this one, I have to give credit to Diva Danielle for the word, Orange, and also for reminding me it was the Ancient One who gave the boys their first masks in _Fathers and Sons_. And to Melody Winters, thank you for the butterflies. I can't remember now how the conversation went, but I remember the idea developing as we chatted. For my friends who listen to me ramble so patiently as ideas are formed, throwing in an occasional comment to keep me moving or to spin me off in a totally new direction full of exciting possibilities, I thank you.**

**Love you gals. **

**One more time, a big, glomping Thank You to my dear beta-reading team, Melody Winters, Polaris'05, Diva Danielle and Duckie Pray. You gals are all tubular, dudettes. And of course, dear Lauren Candelight, who inspires me more often than she realizes, and Fair Soothness Andrea (LOL), who keeps me going when I want to curl up in a ball and just quit. **

**Hugs gals.**

**EDITED: Thanks to Reinbeauchaser for pointing out a typo. The Monarch butterflies migrate south in late August, and make the trip north again in the spring.  
**

* * *

**The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo**

_**Chapter 12 ~Orange: Splinter~**_

_*****  
**_

_Mikan_ is a type of Japanese fruit, similar to the sweet orange globes I have brought home from the market today. Watching my Turtle's faces as they quickly dissect and devour the peeled fruit, I can't help but smile. How appropriate that my sons call their youngest brother _Mikey_… to my ears it sounds like _mikan…_ orange.

Traveling to the home of The Ancient One to deliver the remains of my Master Yoshi was a long, treacherous and often difficult journey. Keeping four young Turtles occupied in the hold of a ship was enough to drive the most patient of souls to the brink of despair.

Once we arrived, I feared my son's rambunctious behavior would offend the Master, but he was most gracious once he heard of our mission.

The day we laid Master Yoshi to rest, The Ancient One walked with me in his garden. We paused to admire some fragrant lotus blossoms, and he inquired about my sons, their personalities and strengths, as well as weaknesses.

"Your son, Leonardo, he is the eldest?"

"Yes, Sensei-sama," I bowed my head respectfully.

"He carries a burden of protecting his brothers," he said thoughtfully.

I nodded. "I am striving to teach him to balance his spirit with the flow of the greater universe."

"And the next, Raphael. He is a feisty one!"

"Yes, Sensei." I winced. I had not missed The Ancient One's eyes following Raphael as he scuffled with his brothers over a _majong_ tile.

"Donatello… he is very quiet?"

"Like a shadow, wrapped in mystery," I confirmed with a small smile.

"He advised me on improving my irrigation system."

A chuckle escaped me. "He has been… interesting, to raise, Sensei."

"And the youngest." He paused for a moment, his eyes twinkling at me from under the brim of his _sugegasa_ (straw hat). "Defining his spirit is like trying to hold sunlight in your hand." He held out his pudgy fingers, letting the light spill over them.

I smiled. "Yes, Sensei-sama. Michelangelo is… high-spirited."

He nodded, and we continued walking. "Tell me, Splinter-san," he said without turning. "Have you seen the orange butterflies in America?"

"Yes, Sensei," I answered, puzzled by his question.

"They travel south in late summer," he told me, pausing to caress a lily's silken petals. "And north again in the spring. No one butterfly makes the entire trip. They don't live long enough. But nothing stops them from trying, and they form great clouds as they fly… great orange clouds, traveling as merrily as if they had no cares, no worries at all." He paused, and I saw a faint smile touch his face as Michelangelo raced across the yard, Raphael in hot pursuit.

It was not until our parting that I came to understand The Ancient One's questions. As we were leaving, he handed me a bundle of cloths, a miniature rainbow. I stammered my thanks, realizing the enormity of his gift. Their first masks, a gift signifying their place in the Hamato Clan, his acceptance of my sons as my master Yoshi's grandchildren. For each of my sons, he had chosen a color. Calming blue for Leonardo. Passionate red for Raphael. Mysterious purple for Donatello, and for Michelangelo, orange.

The color of butterflies.

*******


	37. Splinter's Chapter 1 Seimei: Leonardo

**A/N: An acrostic is a poem, or in this case, a series of drabbles, in which the first letter of each line makes up a word. _Drabbles Forever_ will consist of a series of acrostic drabble sets as follows: **

**Drabbles of Leo: Leonardo; Drabbles Collide: Raphael; Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello; The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo; Search for Drabbles: Splinter; and finally Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato.  
**

**DuckiePray, Melody Winters, Polaris'05 and Diva Danielle are my inspiration, my hearts, and my random bursts of cake and rootbeer. Love you gals!  
**

* * *

_******Welcome to t**he fifth installment of the Drabbles Forever series: The Search for Drabbles: Splinter_

**His _Seimei_ is a remembrance. He is a good _Parent_. He reminds his sons of_ Lotus_ blossoms, _Incense and Ink_. He _Nurtures_ with _Tea_. He's far from _Elderly_. His effect cannot be measured in _Roentgens_, but he has affected his sons. He is Hamato Splinter. This is his story.**

_**

* * *

**_**A/Ns:**_** Seimei**_** means "name", but it means more than that. It can also mean "life" or "life's purpose". Splinter is more than a name. For Master Yoshi, it was a reminder, and for Splinter, it became a purpose.**

_**"Vengeance is like a splinter. It gets under your skin, and can poison your life."**_  
**-The Ancient One, in Tale of Master Yoshi**

_**"Well, little one, I will name you Splinter, to remind me of what I have done, and what I have failed to do. Together, we will remind each other of Tang Shen, of her beauty, her kindness, and love."**_  
**-Hamato Yoshi, in Tale of Master Yoshi**

* * *

**The Search for Drabbles: Splinter**

_**Chapter 1 ~Seimei: Leonardo**_~

***

I think there are some things that leave a lasting impression. One of them is loss. When someone is wounded by a loss, it leaves a scar. Sometimes, when the wound is inflicted by dishonor, betrayal, the hurt leaves behind something that stays in the wound, that causes infection that festers in the spirit and poisons the mind until all the wounded person knows is hatred.

Splinter. It was a name given to him by his own Master, Yoshi, as a memory, a reminder of what he had lost, and what he had loved. A reminder of the wounds a friend inflicted, and the life Yoshi took in return.

When Yoshi died, my Master lost everything, just like his master before him. Splinter had every reason to hate, and to raise us for one purpose, and one purpose only: to seek vengeance for his master's death. He didn't have to _love_ us. He could've raised us, like Saki did Karai, to follow his orders unquestioningly, teaching us only enough honor to keep us loyal to him, to carry out his plan to hunt and fight and kill his enemies, but there is another thing that leaves a lasting impression on a spirit, and that is love.

Somewhere along the way, Splinter remembered. He remembered what happened to Yoshi, but he also remembered Tang Shen. He remembered her pity when she stopped Mashimi from killing him, in the home of the Ancient One, and he remembered the gentleness in her hands, the kindness she showed, when he was a mere animal with no real understanding. He remembered, when he found us, as helpless infants, and took pity on us.

Something of Tang Shen's love stayed with him. Her gentle, quiet spirit left a lasting impression on him, a different kind of splinter, that stayed with him through his own mutation, through raising four mutated turtles, through the hours he took teaching us, not only the arts of ninjitsu, but to read and write, and softened him into trying to teach us the finer things, like haiku, art, and table manners. Somewhere along the line, Splinter became more than our sensei. He became, as the Ancient one had to Yoshi, Mashimi, and Tang Shen, our father.

I believe his master, Yoshi, chose my father's name well. And I believe Tang Shen looks down upon our little clan, from wherever her spirit rests, and smiles.

***


	38. Splinter's Chapter 2 Parent: Raphael

**A/N: _Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Jaaaaaaaa-ckie! Happy birthday to you!_**

**Heheh Yes, Polaris'05 is another year older and another day closer to being as old as me. ;) If you pass her in the hall, be sure to give her a big ol' birthday hug!**

**Happy birthday, sweetie. **

* * *

**The Search for Drabbles: Splinter**

_**Chapter 2 ~Parent: Raphael~**_

***

Ya know, I always kinda took Master Splinter fer granted. I mean, I love 'im an' all, 'cause he's our father, but I never t'ought much about 'im, ya know? Except when I did somethin' ta tick him off, which, ya might t'ink happens pretty often, but actually it's mostly Leo dat gets annoyed wit' me. Splinter don't get mad dat often. O' course, when he does, you'd better sit up an' listen, or you're likely ta lose yer shell. It never pays to tick off a ninja master. Even if he is yer dad.

Master Splinter was always there fer us, growin' up. He was there when Leo started gettin' under my shell an' when Mikey pushed Donny jus' a little too far an' he was threatenin' ta turn 'im inta an experiment. He was there when I couldn't figure out why I overbalanced when I landed from my spin-kick, an' he put in hours in the dojo, teachin' me ta compensate fer da extra weight I put on when I grew two inches in a month. Come ta t'ink of it, he did dat fer all of us, working wit' Leo on his katas, an' Donny perfectin' his punches. He was there to teach us, to send us out into battle, and then when it came time ta take down da Shredder, ta lead us inta da fray, an' we knew, wit' him leadin' us, we could take on da world.

Splinter was always there… and then one day… he wasn't.

Leo saved 'im after he fell out dat window, but when we went back fer 'im, he wasn't there. We didn't know, fer a while, if we'd evah see our dad again. We didn't know if he was alive. An' I was scared. In fact, I nevah been so scared in my life. Who was gonna be there fer us? We were big enough by then ta take care o' ourselves, an' each other, but it was a cinch Leo an' I'd be at each other's throats in under a week. Mike an' Donny… they were jus' lost wit'out Splinter. They were lookin' ta Leo ta tell 'em what ta do, an' Leo didn't have a clue. He was tryin' ta play da Fearless leader, but he didn't have me fooled, not fer a minute. Leo was scared an' didn't know what ta do any more than da rest o' us did. Wit'out Splinter, we were lost, an' we all knew it.

Up until we lost Splinter, I t'ought I had t'ings pretty well figured out. I thought I could pretty much do whatever I wanted, 'cause Leo'd always be there ta look out fer Mikey an' Don, ya know? I figured Fearless had t'ings under control, leavin' me free to be myself. Then our father was missin', an' all of a sudden, my goin' off on my own affected dem da way Master Splinter always tol' me it would. Funny, I never took his words seriously, until he wasn't there.

These days I listen ta Master Splinter a little more. I notice little stuff. Like da way he gets dat proud little smile when one o' us does really well in training. Little stuff like dat. 'Cause my dad ain't always gonna be there, an' I gotta be ready, so whether he's there or not, I can always take care o' my bros.

Splinter's a good dad. I hope I make 'im proud.

***


	39. Splinter's Chapter 3 Lotus: Donatello

**A/N: Yes, I'm quite aware that the lotus blossom is often a symbol of femininity in Japanese culture. I feel that Splinter was deeply affected by Tang Shen's influence, and so the Lotus seems like a fair representation for his roots in this one.**

**And no, Jackie, this does not make Splinter a "lady flower". *sigh***

**Love my betas, but sometimes they get a little too much cake and root-beer and... yeah. All of a sudden Splinter's walking around playing a ukelele with a daisy wreath on his head and little white ankle socks on his feet. o.o**

**I'm sure the Rat is happy that I still have to give the disclaimer... I own no turtles and no Rats. *sigh* Though if I ever win the lottery, look out Viacom, I'm a tough negotiator!  
**

**

* * *

The Search for Drabbles: Splinter**

_**Chapter 3 ~Lotus: Donatello~**_

*******

Flowers really are remarkable things. In some species, seeds can go dormant for years, even decades, and in some cases centuries. They lie buried, waiting for the right circumstances to grow, to stretch up into the light and expand their delicate shoots out in search of nutrients and water in the soil around them.

Lotus flowers are different from normal flowers. They're a water plant, so first of all they can't grow in normal soil. They have to be half-buried underwater to even begin to sprout. And they can't grow in a clear-running, sparkling brook or stream. They require the quiet stillness of a pool or small pond, the serenity of a water garden or the undisturbed water of a shallow lagoon. If they're buried too deeply, they can suffocate under the weight of the soil, denied the moisture they need to grow. Too shallow, and they drown, their life washed away in the water. For a lotus to grow, conditions have to be just right.

Master Splinter's existence has been full of amazing coincidences. From the circumstances that brought him to New York with Master Yoshi, to discovering us in the sewers, even down to finding a book of classical artists to give him not only our names, but an opportunity to study English in its written form, and to begin to make sense of the marks on the paper, so different from his native Kanji, but marks that spoke words, just the same.

In Japanese culture, lotus blossoms often represent youth, beauty, femininity, but underneath the delicate beauty, there is a strength, a tenacious root. The lotus starts out buried in the mud, drowned in still water, hidden, but it pushes up bravely, seeking out the light, the warmth, until it finds a place to stretch out its leaves, and to bloom. Once it matures, it sends out runners, growing, reproducing itself, until the entire pond is overrun with a riot of color and perfume.

Lotus blossoms are amazing. Strong, persistent, patient…

The ugliness that brought Master Splinter to New York might've found its root in the dark Tang Shen's grave, but out of impossible circumstances, he grew into something unexpected. Something like a flower, reaching up through the secret gloom to seek out the rays of the sun. Splinter is like a lotus, growing unexpectedly out of darkness and gloom, stretching out past the difficulties life has handed him to be something more.

I'm proud to call him my dad.

***


	40. SplintersChap4 Incense&Ink: Michelangelo

**The Search for Drabbles: Splinter**

_**Chapter 4 ~Ink and Incense: Michelangelo~**_

*******

Two things come to mind when I think about our father; the smells of incense and calligraphy ink. When we were really little, those two smells combined meant "Ooto-san", Dad.

It seemed like, when he wasn't takin' care of us, Splinter was always meditating or drawing kanji. With four awesome turtley dudes doin' what we do, meditatin' had to get tough sometimes. I mean, we weren't exactly quiet growin' up. Especially Raphy an' me. But Splinter, he was always calm, always patient. I can hardly ever remember him yellin' or getting really angry. Well, except maybe that one time, when Raph broke my crayon so I stuffed his punching bag with some eggs that were a couple weeks old…

We did so many flips I thought my shell would fall off.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Meditating. He almost always has a stick of incense burning while he meditates. I don't even notice the smell anymore. He burns it pretty much constantly in memory of Master Yoshi. And probably to cover the leftover scent of those eggs. Heh.

He burns the incense when he's drawing kanji, too. See, kanji isn't like English. You don't just write the letters… the marks aren't letters at all, they're symbols, like little pictures. It's a lot more complicated, and I think, more beautiful than romaji, which is basically the same as the English alphabet, or even hiragana or katakana, which work kind of like English letters, but sometimes it can be hard to understand because one symbol can mean more than one thing. Take the kanji "sei" for example. It can be read as "Sensei" or as "u" in "umareta" (birthday). See, it can get complicated really fast.

Not for Sensei, though. He understands kanji. He understands a lot of stuff like that. I guess it's because before he had us, he had a life in Japan, and later a life in New York with Master Yoshi and the Guardians. It seems kinda weird, thinking about Sensei that way. He had a family before us, people he cared about and who cared about him. Then one day… they were gone.

When we came along, it must've been really hard for Splinter. I mean, here he was, lonely and hurting and wondering how he was gonna take care of himself, now that his family was gone. Next thing you know, he finds four little turtles, and wham! He's a mutant. Talk about life going from bad to weird! But in a totally cool, awesomely green way.

Splinter's always writing letters, mostly to The Ancient One. I think, when we were kids, he might've been writing to ask him for advice and stuff, since The Ancient One is kinda like Splinter's grandfather and all. Now his letters are probably about… I don't know, whatever old, super-wise ninja type dudes talk to each other about. Probably about the meaning of life an' stuff. Or maybe he just writes about us, about how totally awesome we are and how lucky he is to have four great sons. Well, two ok sons, one grumpy pain in the shell son, and one really cool one, anyway. He still burns incense when he writes, and the smells of ink and incense still means "Dad" to me.

I'm glad Splinter found us. I mean, I'm glad for us, 'cause we couldn't have had a cooler dad. And I'm glad for him, too. 'Cause he was alone when he found us, and that's not cool. Everybody should have a family, and they don't get much better than ours.

***


	41. Splinter's Chapter 5 Nurture: Splinter

**A/N: I'm sticking with the 2003 series cannon, in which Hun accompanied Oroku Saki in the attack on Hamato Yoshi, and in fact delivered the fatal blow. In that episode, it was Hun who was attacked by Splinter, resulting in the scarring on his face we see in the cartoons.**

**As always, thanks to my beta-reading team, without whom I could not have gotten these written at all, let alone done Splinter any sort of justice. **  
**Mel, Danni, Jackie, you gals rock my world. Love ya.**

* * *

**The Search for Drabbles: Splinter**

_**Chapter 5 ~Nurture: Splinter~**_

***

It is not the natural way of things for an animal to look after offspring that is not its own. Male rats are among the least-known for their parenting proficiency. By the time the pups are born, the father rat has long since forgotten he was ever involved with a female of his species.

There are many threads in the tapestry Fate weaves into our lives. I do not know what prompted me, in my original form, to retrieve four infant turtles from a puddle of glowing muck. I was, perhaps, an unusual example of my species, even before coming into contact with the alien mutagen. Most pet rats are not capable of following their master's movements as he works through katas, or of attempting to defend a human from a murderer.

My recollection of those events is faded with years, but the heat of rage, fear and grief and the scent of the blood my teeth and claws drew as I attacked a mountain of a man are clear in my mind. As clear as the tug of pity I felt at the sight of four tiny creatures tumbling down through a sewer grate and into a puddle of ooze. I may have been prompted by my own loneliness and grief for my master, for my family… an unusual motivation for a creature who'd been alone for a long time before becoming a human's pet.

I do not know whether the odd instincts that led me to care for my sons were a result of the effects of the mutagen, or something else. The memories of those days are not clear and logical. I was driven by instincts in my original form. I knew only hunger and survival… until Tang Shen offered me a bit of the food she was preparing in the kitchen of The Ancient One's home. For the first time, I felt a human's touch. I think it was at that moment, long before I came into contact with the mutagen, that I began to change.

The loss of my family was a difficult blow. Tang Shen's death left me bereft, afraid. Master Yoshi's continued care was my only comfort in those sad days. His presence, his familiar scent, kept her memory alive, and soon I came to appreciate his care as well. When Oroku Saki and Hun killed Yoshi, my world, everything, shattered. I was returned to my ordinary state as a solitary scavenger, but I had changed. Being alone was no longer natural for me. I do not know what might have become of me, had I not come across those four infant turtles. I do not know if I would have tried to seek out another family among the humans of New York. Likely I would have met a rather violent end, had I made such a rash attempt.

My natural state was changed by the compassion shown me by Tang Shen and Hamato Yoshi. I do not know exactly what prompted me to rescue four squirming infants from the sewers, but I do know that the salvation that day was not theirs. It was my own. My Turtles, my sons, my family… they were my deliverance.

*******


	42. Splinter's Chapter 6 Tea: Leonardo

**A/N: Amazing how scents can stay with you and transport you home in an instant.**

**

* * *

The Search for Drabbles: Splinter**

_**Chapter 6 ~Tea: Leonardo**~_

***

The conversations with my father about what to expect when I went away to train, tactical discussions about how to handle myself, about how it would be, out there alone without the support of my brothers, did nothing to prepare me for waking up one morning to the knowledge that the time had come, that _today_ was the day I would leave our Lair and go out into the world on my own. For the first time, the reality of what I was about to attempt set in. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers and put this day off one more time, to see my brother's faces, to hear Michelangelo laugh and Donatello rattling parts together as he fiddled about in his lab. Even Raphael's growling bark would have been a welcome sound.

With a sigh, I forced myself to get up and make my bed. My meager bag was already packed. My katanas stood ready on their stand. I picked up my blades and slid them into their holsters. I glanced around my room one last time, checking for things I might have forgotten, even though I knew there was nothing.

When I slipped downstairs, I thought everyone was sleeping. I could just make out the quiet puffs of my younger brothers' breathing under Raph's chainsaw snores coming from the upper levels. I resisted the urge to poke my heads into their rooms one last time. It's not easy to sneak into a ninja's room without waking him, and I knew seeing my brothers now would only make leaving more difficult.

I was heading toward the door when a familiar scent wafted from the kitchen. The sharp, well-known smell of brewing tea beckoned me. For a moment, I wavered. Even Splinter wouldn't be up this early. But who else would be making tea? I made my way silently to the kitchen.

Master Splinter sat at the table. One mug was in front of him. Another was already at my place, steam rising from the cup. He nodded in acknowledgment as I came in, taking my seat. My chest felt strange, heavy, and my heartbeat was slow, but loud in my ears. I took a slow, careful sip of tea, attempting to match my father's calm.

"You have your robe, my son?"

"Yes, Sensei."

He nodded. "And you have packed extra shuriken, and your tanto?"

"Yes, Sensei."

He took a slow sip of his tea. "Good."

I don't think I've ever made a cup of tea last as long as that one. I took slow, careful sips of Splinter's pungently familiar special brew, wanting to grasp these last few moments in my home, with my father, the way I cradled the cup in my hands. Finally the cup was empty, and I had no further excuse to delay. I got slowly to my feet, and bowed.

"Thank you, Master. I will try to make you proud."

To my surprise, he stood, and returned my bow. When his eyes met mine, he smiled, and I saw a twinkle in his gaze.

"My son, I _am_ proud of you. Always." He slipped a small, wrapped package into my hands. I bowed again, and made my way out into the tunnels.

Weeks later, in a cave a world away, I opened the bundle my father had given me. Inside, I found a small traditional mug that once belonged to Master Yoshi, and a packet of tea. The scent of the bruised leaves wafted up, comforting, familiar. There, in the middle of the jungle, I smelled Splinter's tea, and felt at home.

***


	43. Splinter's Chapter 7 Elderly: Raphael

**A/N: _Koosan shimasu _means, roughly: "surrender" **

**

* * *

The Search for Drabbles: Splinter**

_**Chapter 7 ~Elderly: Raphael~**_

*******

"Guys…" A few feet away from me, Donatello froze, peering around into the shadows thrown by the various dim shapes on the rooftop. "Did you hear that?"

On my other side, Leo went absolutely still. I could feel a familiar tension in my shoulders. We'd been avoidin' our pursuer fer over an hour now. We lost Mikey early on. He went down before any of us knew there was a threat to avoid. There was no time to think of it now, to dwell on our defeat, our loss. We were on the run, and we were runnin' outta options.

"What're we gonna do, Leo?" whispered Don.

"I don't know," answered Leo, glaring into the darkness. "But we'd better be alert or…"

_Swish! Whack!_ _Thud._

Leo was down. There was nothin' Donny an' me could do ta help 'im, not really, but we stood shoulder to shoulder, screenin' 'im with our bodies to face the threat. He'd finally caught up wit' us. Nothin' to do now but face it.

"Raph, get Donny out of here," hissed Leo from where he lay.

I shook my head, not bothering to reply. We were a team. We'd go home together, or not at all. Leaving Mikey behind had been a mistake. We shoulda stood our ground then. Even if we all went down in that first attack, we shoulda stayed. I wasn't about ta leave another of my bros. I spun my sai in my fingers, and Don was clutchin' his bo like it was a lifeline, but the rooftop was empty. Our attacker had disappeared back into the night as swiftly as he'd appeared. As much as I hated it, I had to admire the skill. I heard Don swear under his breath. His shell brushed mine and it felt like an electric shock. He was _vibratin'_ with tension.

"Hi-_yah!_"

Don turned an instant too late. A _thump_, and a heavy crash, and he was layin' next to Leo, groanin' and holdin' his arm. I circled, watching warily as a darker shape shifted among the shadows and came alive.

He didn't bother trying to hide his presence this time, which sent chills down my spine. He was just playin' wit' me now. He had the upper hand and we both knew it. I knew I didn't have a chance, but I wasn't about to give in. Not wit'out a fight.

Cautious for once, I tried a spin-kick, landing for a dragon-punch and a left feint, following up with a sweep that would've knocked most people onto their shells… err, backs, leaving them open to be pinned if they couldn't roll up fast enough. He dodged my moves as if I was stuck in slow motion. I growled, feeling the sweat pop out on my neck.

I tried another round of attacks, getting reckless now. I knew I had nothing left to lose. My last punch came dangerously close to his face, but suddenly I was flying through the air. My shell crashed down with a _boom_ I was sure resounded for several city blocks. A weight on my plastron and a blade glinted in the moonlight. I froze, with the tip of a tanto just inches from my windpipe.

"I…_Koosan shimasu_." The words hurt my throat, but saying it in Japanese eased the sting just a little.

"You fought well, my son."

The blade moved back, allowing me to sit up. I did, rubbing the back of my head where it'd bounced off the roof.

"Whatevah. You took us _all_ out, Sensei."

Splinter's black eyes glinted in the moonlight as he sheathed his short knife. "Not bad for an old Rat, eh, Raphael?" The edges of his mouth twitched.

"Ya ain't _old_, Sensei," I muttered.

"I believe the term Raph used was _elderly_, Sensei," said Don, getting to his feet with a smirk.

"Shut up, Brainiac," I grumbled.

"Come, my sons," said Splinter. "Let's go home and see what mischief your brother has managed to find in our absence."

"I thought first one down had to make supper, Sensei," remarked Don.

"I suspect Michelangelo will have provided us with pizza."

I grinned, reaching down to give Leo a hand up before following Splinter down the fire escape. Our Dad might be gettin' up there in years, but he's still a force to be reckoned with. Elderly or not, he is, and will always be, my hero.

***


	44. Splinter's Chapter 8 Roentgen: Donatello

**A/N: The final installment of Splinter's drabbles. I almost wish his name was longer... almost. He was the most challenging, and the most satisfying, of the Hamato clan to write. Tomorrow is the beginning of the end, the first of the Hamato drabbles, the last set in the series.**

**Thanks so much to all those who've followed along this far, and once again to my amazing beta-reading team. You gals rock out loud.**

**This one was inspired by my own struggles as a parent. Splinter has always been my favorite character, and now that I have kids of my own, I look up to him even more. Raising kids isn't easy under ideal circumstances, and raising four boys without a job, with only the resources he can scavenge, and under the constant threat of discovery, would have been enough to drive the most patient soul to volcanic explosion.**

**Like the boys, I hope that I can live up to his example some day, when I grow up. **

**;)  
**

* * *

**The Search for Drabbles: Splinter**

**_Chapter 8 ~Roentgen: Donatello~_**

*******

A roentgen is a unit of exposure. It's used to measure x-rays or gamma rays in terms of the ions or electrons produced in dry air at 0° C and one atmosphere, equal to the amount of radiation producing one electrostatic unit of positive or negative charge per cubic centimeter of air.

Umm… Yeah, ok, in English. Sorry. Heh.

Basically, a roentgen is a way of measuring how much radiation a person, animal or object has been exposed to. Radiation is a funny thing. Uncontrolled, it can destroy cities, scarring land and lives and leaving behind effects that can last decades. An entire country, my father's homeland, was devastated by the dropping of two bombs, and the radiation that lingers even now. Sometimes I wonder what the outcome of World War Two might've been if America didn't drop the bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, but not much. War and strategy is really Leo's area of interest.

Radiation, controlled, can be used to treat cancer, to take pictures of bones and other structures inside the body, and even to cook a hot-dog or make a bag of microwave popcorn for movie night. It provides heat, insight and sometimes, a cure. The same power that brings death can also mean healing and life. Seems kind of ironic, doesn't it?

My brother Raphael once referred to our father as a "90 pound weapon of mass destruction". He spoke those words with pride, without really thinking about what a WMD can do. He hasn't spent the hours I have reading about the leftover effects of the Little Boy and Fat Man bombs. Raph was proud of the power our father, our Sensei, is capable of unleashing. I'm proud too, but for another reason.

It's true; Splinter is capable of doing serious damage. He's _done_ serious damage in fights. Hun's face is marked with the scars of Splinter's rage, and he's the only one who's ever really bested Oroku Saki in a fight, save for Leo's defeating him on the top of the Foot Tower, and even then our enemy came back from decapitation as if he were immortal. Which he wasn't, but that's another story.

What I'm most proud of is our father's capacity for self-restraint. With all the insane pranks Michelangelo's pulled through the years, the bone-head moves Raph's made in a moment of uncontrolled fury, including nearly bashing in our little brother's skull, the rare defiance Leo's shown, and the mistakes I've made, both in judgment and in skill, you'd think Splinter would've lost his temper with us a number of times, but he hasn't. In fact, I can't remember, ever, seeing him really lose it. I've never seen him screaming out of control. I've seen Raph go postal, and believe me it's a scary sight. Raph's a powerful guy, the strongest of the four of us, but he's got nothing on Master Splinter, in either strength or moves. If Splinter ever really and truly lost his temper, the explosion would be epic. Nuclear. Devastating.

Power isn't always about destructive force. Sometimes it's about knowing how to contain what's inside you.

Master Splinter is the most powerful person I know.

*******


	45. Hamato Chapter 1 Home: Michelangelo

**A/N: An acrostic is a poem, or in this case, a series of drabbles, in which the first letter of each line makes up a word. _Drabbles Forever_ will consist of a series of acrostic drabble sets as follows: **

**Drabbles of Leo: Leonardo; Drabbles Collide: Raphael; Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello; The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo; Search for Drabbles: Splinter; and finally Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato.  
**

**For the final time, my beta reading team throughout this series has been Melody Winters, Polaris'05 and Diva Danielle, with occasional assists from DuckiePray and FairDrea.  
I absolutely could not have done this without you girls. *hugs* all around. **

**And a big, glomping, happy dance congratulations to Polaris'05 and her roomate, who are graduating next weekend. We has a valedictorian in our midst! Congrats, Jackie! Wish her luck getting through her speech with a straight face, with some nut in a TMNT shirt cheering from the audience. ;)  
**

* * *

_******Welcome to t**he sixth and final installment of the Drabbles Forever series: Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato_

**Family is what makes a**_** Home. **_**Splinter knows they will be allright**_**, After. **_**Different**_** Mothers, **_**one father, brothers always.**_** April **_**is a new influence on them, and**_** Together **_**they will always stand firm. They are**_** Overflowing.**_** They are the Hamato clan, and this is their story.****  
**

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**Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato**

_**Chapter 1 Home: Michelangelo**_

***

Home… It used to be kind of cramped. The ceiling was low in our first place, and I shared a room with Raphy. We had one big open space we used for practicing, eating, hanging out, and generally living in, then we kind of had rooms set up off to the sides of our space, with bunk beds. Me and Raph shared one, and across the little hall from us was Donny and Leo's. It was kind of like having one big room for all of us, except not. Sensei had his own space, just a little blocked-off bit of tunnel where he was able to put a curtain over the door. It worked for me… I liked being close to my bros at night when the shadows get all flickery in the candlelight.

It wasn't much, but it was ours. It was our safe place, our home where we knew nothing could reach us, no one could find us. No one bothered us there, at least until those mouser things attacked, and everything I'd counted on to be secure, everything I'd always just accepted as unmoving and unmovable, the bricks, the pillars, the walls, came crashing down.

I was pretty scared when I realized our father wasn't on our side of the mountain of rubble that used to be our home. It registered in my mind that my bros were all with me, but my heart froze into a block of ice when I realized Splinter wasn't with us. It was like, my worst nightmares coming to life. Except this time there weren't any zombies, and I knew Sensei wouldn't be shaking me awake and telling me it was time to get up for morning practice.

I think Leo realized the danger first. He always was fine-tuned to anything that threatened us, all of us. He got a little freaked out, before his Fearless Leader mode kicked in and he looked to Don for tech support. When Splinter's voice came outta that shell-cell, I wanted to turn back flips. We were all pretty excited. Then Leo had a plan and Dad told us to meet him at the old junction, and I knew everything would be ok.

Nobody was hurt or grievously injured, and we'd be together soon. Losing our home was scary and awful of course, but the fear I had of losing a few DVDs and action figures was nothing, _nothing_, compared to the relief that flooded me when the van pulled into the old south drainage junction and Splinter was standing there, leaning on his walking stick and waiting for us to come home, as if we'd just gone out on a training exercise in the tunnels and were a bit late getting home.

We've had a lot of homes since then, hung our Sewer Sweet Sewer sign up in a lot of places. We moved when the Foot found us, when the Lair was destroyed. Heck, we've even crashed with April at her apartment, and stayed at the old farmhouse in the Hamptons often enough to call those places home. I guess home isn't about mortar and bricks or boards and beams at all. I guess it's where you know you're safe, where people who've got your back, no matter what happens, surround you. Home is where you come back to when you're cold and tired and aching and just had your shell handed to you by a buncha Foot or some robotic demons who'd like to munch you into turtle-chow. Home is where my family is. Wherever we are, whether its in outer space, an alternate dimension, or sitting around April's little dining room table laughing and scarfing pizza, as long as we're together, we'll always be at home.

***


	46. Hamato Chapter 2 After: Splinter

**A/N: The battle referenced takes place in the Return to New York arc. After Tales of Leo, the Hamato clan return to the city and launch an all out infiltration attack on the Foot Tower with the purpose of destroying The Shredder. At one point, near the end of the battle, Shredder launches an attack on Mikey. Splinter sees it coming, leaps, kind of bounces off Mike, shoving him out of the way, and challenges Shredder himself. During the ensuing fight, he takes a bad hit and is thrown out a window. Leonardo thinks fast, grabbing a rope, and swings out, saving him. He leaves the injured Splinter on a ledge, promising to return for him. Splinter's dialogue is from the episode. **

**Every parent ponders their child's future. Splinter has good reason to look to their future with peace, and a sense of pride. He has raised a fine family.**

**I ****would like to dedicate this one, with a prayer for peace and hope, to all of those who've had someone go on ahead****, in memory of my own father, who spent his final days arranging for his family's future.  
**

**To those who still have their parents in their lives, enjoy them. You'll never regret time spent with your mom and dad.  
**

* * *

**Dragons and Drabbles: Hamato**

_**Chapter 2 ~After: Splinter**_~

***

The battle is raging around me, the sharp scents of sulfur, burning wood, rage and fear filling my sensitive nose. My son… he sees the danger a split second too late, and freezes, unable to respond as Shredder's gauntlets slice down to destroy the youngest of our clan, our innocence, our energy, our Michelangelo. I do what a father must do. In a moment of rage, I launch myself forward, pushing him out of harm's way with a shove of my foot, landing to face my mortal foe.

You shall not have his blood, Shredder. You may destroy me if you can, but you will not touch my son.

A blow, and I am falling, a cry of primal terror dragged from my throat as I plummet, leaving my sons behind to fight without me. In those instants, I think of my sons, how would they win this battle? Are they ready? Can they defeat the creature who has plagued our family for so many years? Can they protect one another?

I worry most for Michelangelo. His luck seems almost uncanny at times. He seems to avoid the worst strikes, seems to bounce back from the hardest hits… but he is still so young, so dependent… what will become of him if I die today? Donatello, the most practical, but also the most sensitive. His confidence has grown with his brothers' dependence on his technological abilities, but he still comes to me with more personal disturbances, with questions. He is growing more independent, but he still needs his father. Raphael… I have tried so hard to guide him into his full potential, but he seems to doubt, at times, that he will ever overcome his impulsive nature. Leonardo… the eldest of his brothers, he carries the burden of leading them when I am gone, but he is so young… this is not how it was meant to be. I am supposed to be there, to support and to guide him. His journey is just beginning… and mine, it seems, will come to an end.

Then Leonardo is there… risking himself for a foolish old Rat. Pride and relief flood me, even as the shame settles in. I have led my sons into a battle which could well be their last. My son kneels beside me, speaking reassurance, and I look up. My son, whom I'd cradled as a child, coming to _my_ rescue, and I know, they have grown up. They are no longer children. Today, they become true ninja, warriors in their own right.

"Go, Leonardo. You must return to the battle. Protect your brothers. I know you will lead them well."

Resting there on that ledge, for the first time, I know, when my time comes, my sons will be safe, all of them. They work as a team. They protect one another. They will be all right, after I am gone. The day will come when they are put to the test, when they must journey through this world without my hand to guide them. But not today.

***


	47. Hamato Chapter 3 Mother: Leonardo

**A/N: Welcome home, Danni!**

* * *

**Dragons and Drabbles: Hamato**

_**Chapter 3 ~Mother: Leonardo~**_

*******

Mothers… At some point in our existence, before the mutagen, before Splinter, we had mothers. I never thought much about it, until one night, after a fight against the Foot in an alley. It was the first time one of us had been injured badly enough to need to need a blood transfusion. Donatello insisted that Raph could only take blood from Mikey.

Needless to say, Mikey was not thrilled at the prospect of having his blood siphoned off, but he hesitated for only an instant, and he didn't whine or even ask why it had to be _him_, and not me or Don, until after Don had already set up the IV and started the flow.

"Because, Mikey, Leo and I aren't compatible donors," Don said shortly in answer to Mike's question.

"Why not, Donny?"

I hadn't said much as Don worked to stop the blood from seeping out of the sword-wound on Raph's thigh, and set up Mike to transfer a bit of his life-giving fluid into Raph's veins. I'd been too busy organizing our retreat, getting my brothers to safety, gauging how far Raph could go before he passed out, and how Donny was holding up, with his attention divided between providing us cover with one of his smoke bombs and dealing with Raph's wound, not to mention hating myself for allowing Raph to take a hit for me in the first place.

_I should've seen that strike coming so Raph didn't have to sacrifice himself this way to block it. I should've been able to provide the blood he needs so Mikey didn't have to do this…_

"We're not biologically related," explained Don, finishing off the fine stitches he was putting into Raphael's thigh with a delicate knot.

I felt a jolt at his words. _My brother, my blood…_

"What are you talking about, Donny? We're brothers," said Mikey, steadfastly ignoring the needle in his arm.

Donatello glanced at him, his gaze steady. "Mike," he said. "We _might_ be from the same batch of… eggs. It's possible we share a common set of parents, but it's unlikely. Biologically speaking, we're probably unrelated."

"Ya mean we ain't got the same kinda blood 'cause we had different mothers?" Mikey asked.

Raphael stirred, and the question was forgotten as our hot-headed brother woke up and, to my sharp relief, started complaining, a sure sign he'd be ok.

"Raph…" I started to speak, but he gave me a piercing look and waved me off.

"Shut up, Bro."

I shook my head, but forced a smile, knowing what he meant. _You would've done the same for me, so quit blaming yourself for this._

It's not easy, Raph, but I'll try.

We may have had different mothers, back in the very beginning of our existence, before any of us could do more than crawl around the bottom of a glass jar, but we are different now. We have one father. We take care of each other, look out for each other. We are brothers, biology be damned. Family isn't about biology. It's about loyalty, commitment. It's about love. Biology is just DNA, blood and genetics. In the heat of battle, when a strike is coming your way and your brother steps in to block it, biology doesn't mean a thing.

A mother may have given us our first life, but tonight my brother gave me a second chance. Brothers are forever.

***


	48. Hamato Chapter 4 April: Raphael

**A/N: Based in the 2K3 'toon 'verse, specifically Attack of the Mousers and Tales of Leo. **

**I couldn't tell a story about the Hamato clan without including their first human friend, and the one the Turtles call "Sis".  
**

* * *

**Dragons and Drabbles: Hamato**

_**Hamato Chapter 4 ~April: Raphael~**_

_*****  
**_

For fifteen years, I had a family. I had three bros an' my Dad, an' they were my entire world, da only people that mattered ta me. Then, one day, with a ear-shatterin' scream echoin' through da tunnels, everything changed.

April was a first for all of us. She was the first human we'd ever met, and also the first sentient female we'd met of _any_ species. Once she got over her initial freak-out, April was da first person outside our family, evah, who didn't call us monsters or try ta run away at the sight of us. She was da first person who accepted us, who was ok with us just bein' what we are.

When she helped us break into Stocktronics to destroy da mousers that wrecked our home, we found out she was pretty darn smart and loyal to boot. She risked her own life to help us out, and was even willin' to blow up those mousers, and her career in the process, to keep 'em from munchin' us into sushi. Ya can't go t'rough all dat together and not come out friends. I mean, it's just impossible, so it's no wonder she was our friend after that, but there was another change, a deeper one, to come. At some point, she became our _sister, _became part o' da clan, one o' us.

I'm not sure if it was da first time she watched us work out, and Mikey was so flustered by havin' a girl in da dojo he tripped over his own nunchuck and took me out wit' his fall. April's giggle rang out, an' insteada wantin' to swat Mike on da head, I found m'self laughin' too. Even Sensei chuckled, an' I felt the atmosphere shift, as if her smile changed somethin' in all of us.

Da change mighta come when da Lair got destroyed an' she invited us ta stay wit' her, as if it was da most natural thing in da world. Or when Leo was hurt and she stood right there beside us as we told stories, tryin' ta bring him back from wherever he'd retreated to, an' never once mentioned how run-down da place was or how she'd jus' lost everytin' she owned, her home, her store, everytin'. All she cared about was Leo.

I don't know… it might have been the next morning, when I felt dat old familiar need to get the shell out, to run, to burn off some of the restless energy that came from bottlin' up my anger over my brother's injuries and our failure back in the city. I headed outside, meanin' ta go fer a run. I yanked on da only clothes I had wit' me, a pair o' sweat pants Casey loaned me fer sleepin' in, 'cause da rooms upstairs get kinda cold. I paused on da porch a minute, feelin' da cold bitin' inta my arms, and wonderin' what kinda fool I was, goin' outside in dis kinda weather. There was a movement on da porch behind me, and I turned. April stood there, lookin' at me wit' those big green eyes,as if she was wonderin' da same t'ing. She didn't say anyt'in, jus' handed me a coat.

"It belonged to Casey's grandfather. He said it should fit over your shell."

"T'anks."

I t'ink dat's when I knew April was more dan jus' a human friend. She was one o' us. It weren't much, jus' an old coat, an' a place to stay, but she was sharin' in our troubles and not once did she complain or rant about da trouble we caused her. She jus' took us in like we belonged ta her, and gave me an old coat so I wouldn't freeze my shell off. She's more dan jus' da first human we met, more dan da first girl I had a crush on. She's my sister.

Yeah, Ape, she's family. So don't mess wit' her, or you'll answer ta me.

***


	49. Hamato Chapter 5 Together: Donatello

**A/N: This one refers to the Ninja Tribunal story arc in which the Turtles face down the Tengu (demon) Shredder.**

**

* * *

Dragons and Drabbles: Hamato**

_**Chapter 5 ~Together: Donatello~**_

_*******_

All our lives, we have relied on one another. We've always had each others' backs, always been there, always looked out for each other. It's what families do. All that changed when we fought the Tengu Shredder.

Our family alone wasn't enough. We weren't the only acolytes the Ninja Tribunal chose, and we wouldn't have had a chance in the final battle, if our sworn enemies hadn't banded together and become our temporary allies in the face of this new, and terrible threat. Treating Karai's wounds remains the single most unusual point in my life. My hands shook as I wrapped the bandages, even though Leonardo was standing by watching grimly for any sign that she'd wake up and try to attack me. He hasn't forgiven her for coming after us while he was away studying with The Ancient One. The battle we were involved in overrode even his need to get vengeance for her attack on our family.

Our family, our clan, we've always felt complete. We never needed anyone else, except maybe April and Casey… until we fought the Tengu. It was an odd feeling, banding together with our enemies to fight the worst threat the world has ever known, but not a bad feeling.

We all had our eyes opened to a bigger reality. Splinter discovered that Master Yoshi's passing, as terrible as it was, had to happen in order for us to exist, so that we could defeat the Tengu when the time came. I still don't know if I believe in the Tribunal's assertion that the events that led to our mutation were for the greater good. I mean, of course I'm grateful that I exist, that my family exists, but the pain in Master Splinter's eyes when he talks about Yoshi's death… Well, I guess I'm glad I don't control fate. I wouldn't want to have to choose between my existence and my father's grief.

I was glad when it was over, when Shredder was destroyed for good, and Splinter invited the other acolytes to join us in a celebration.

"Come, my sons. Let us all celebrate, together."

Yeah. Together is good.

***


	50. Hamato Chapter6 Overflowing:Michelangelo

**A/N: I didn't realize, when I started this little project on a whim, that it would end up being fifty chapters long. From now on I will count the letters before I decide to do an acrostic series. Heh**

**To my dear beta-reading team, thank you. You've stood by me throughout this. I can't tell you how much I've appreciated your support, your encouragement, and your epic beta skillz. Seriously, you gals rock. **

**Mel, Danni, Jackie, and also Sarah and Drea, all you girls need to step up and take a bow! *standing ovation* You believed in me when I had nothing left. I absolutely could not have done this without you.**

**To the readers/reviewers who've seen this through to the end, thank you as well. A large part of the fun of writing comes from sharing. **

**Normally there would be a list of individual thank-yous at the end of my fic. You might notice it's not there… yet. There's a reason for that… and you'll find out why tomorrow. **** (of course some of you already know.) lol oh well, a writer's got to have some fun, right? **

**

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****Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato**

_**Chapter 6 ~Overflowing: Michelangelo~**_

Today has been a good day. We had a pretty quiet patrol. We broke up a mugging, and the test run for Don's new techno-gizmo was a complete success. It messes up the Purple Dragon's communications for about ten blocks, which will mean if we get into a fight with a group of them, they won't be able to call for reinforcements.

Messing with the PD's always puts Raphy in a good mood, and of course Don was geeking out over the microchips all falling in line. Leo loves it when a strategy works out the way he planned.

Even Splinter was in a good mood when we got home. I guess he was right about some character on his show being another character's half-sister's cousin's mother in law or something. Anyway, he smiled when Leo told him how well the test run went, and just nodded when Raph asked if we could order out for pizza.

I got to pick the movie, and for once no one complained when I opted for Star Wars. I sat there on the couch, sandwiched between Don and Raph. Leo sat in one of the armchairs, and Splinter sat in the other. He doesn't watch a lot of television with us, but it was just one of those nights when he was content to hang out.

I settled on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and a soda and hit play. Sometimes… sometimes we just have a really good day. And I get to relax like this with my bros beside me and no one's hurt or missing or mad at each other. Times like these are made even sweeter by knowing they don't come often, so I've got to savor every moment. I stole a quick glance around at my family, and notice everyone's smiling.

My heart felt funny, swelling up in my chest, and I knew, it was overflowing.


	51. Tengu Chapter 1 Telling: Raphael

**A/N: An acrostic is a poem, or in this case, a series of drabbles, in which the first letter of each line makes up a word. _Drabbles Forever_ will consist of a series of acrostic drabble sets as follows: **

**Drabbles of Leo: Leonardo; Drabbles Collide: Raphael; Drabbles from the Underground: Donatello; The Unconvincing Turtle Drabbles: Michelangelo; Search for Drabbles: Splinter; ****Drabbles and Dragons: Hamato, ****and now introducing the final set, The Lost Drabbles: Tengu  
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_**I hope you enjoy The Lost Drabbles, the very last set in the Drabbles Forever series.**_

_**A certain scene in the fourth movie was **_**Telling**_**. Donatello admires **_**Excellence**_**.**** Splinter's **_**Ninja**_** skills helped him survive more than one ordeal. Michelangelo reflects on honor and the greater **_**Good**_**, and Leonardo, in meditation, finds **_**Understanding.**_** These are the Lost Drabbles: Tengu.**_

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**So here we are, one final time. When I started this series, I didn't plan this last set of drabbles, but as the end approached I realized I had a few "leftovers", drabbles that I'd written to fit into specific spots in the series, but for one reason or another they didn't make the cut. Since I'm rather fond of several of these, I renamed them, organized them into an acrostic, and wrote one more to round out the set.**

**One more time, a big round of applause to my beta-reading team. You gals rock. **

**The first drabble, **_**Telling**_**, was originally titled **_**Paradigm**_**. It was meant to be the second of Splinter's drabbles. I felt it was too Raph-centric to fit well with Splinter's series, so I replaced it with **_**Parent**_**. ****I'm dedicating this one to Melody Winters, because she voted for _Paradigm_ to be included in the series. Mel, I promised not to toss it aside, so here you go. This one's for you. **

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**The Lost Drabbles: Tengu**

**_Chapter 1 ~Telling: Raphael~_**

_Raphael! A warrior must find balance in all things._

How many times have I heard dem words from my father? I t'ought I understood… t'ought he wanted me to achieve balance so I could be a better warrior, like my _perfect _brother. I know I'm as good as Leo. I've beat him in sparring practices as often as he's taken me down. It's just dat I get so angry... I t'ought controlling my temper would make me a better son, so that my father could be proud of me. The way he's proud of Leo. So while Leo was away, Sensei helped me focus my trainin' on controlling my rage, channeling it, harnessing it and focusing against an enemy.

The night things fell apart, I'm not sure what happened exactly. I'm not sure whether it was just having had my shell kicked by a pint-sized gremlin, or all da frustration dat built up worryin' over Leo bein' gone so long and not bein' able to go after him. I'd even been meditatin' ta deal wit' the fury that rose up when he walked into da Lair dat night like he'd been out on patrol, not MIA for almost a year. Meditatin' don't do much though, when your brother's been missin' and da only news you've had was April coming back, an' tellin' ya he wasn't injured or lost to us as we'd all feared. He jus' liked it too much to come home.

Or it might o' been when he gave me dat arrogant look.

_I'm better than you._

I lost my temper completely, jus' like da time I almost bashed Mikey's head in, but dis time no one grabbed my arm when I struck wit' my sai. Only the hours Splinter put in with me, working on finding balance and control deflected my attack so that the tips went into tar an' paper, an' not flesh an' bone.

Splinter's trainin' stopped me killin' my brother, but I knew, starin' inta Fearless' face, seeing dat look, da one that seemed to say; _I knew it. I knew I was right all along. You really are just a stubborn, selfish hot-head, and I'll never be able to trust you_, that I had failed. Failed myself. Failed my family. Failed Splinter. I let my anger control me, and I was defeated by it. I'd fought to win, and in winning, I lost. I nearly lost everything.

When I stumbled into the Lair, desperate, terrified, torn between rage and grief and fear… I was furious with myself, and terrified that we might have lost Leo for real this time, just when we'd just gotten him back, Splinter was calm, as always, when I stumbled in. Collected, cool, waiting, ready to help me back to a place of peace and balance, ready to help me understand my anger, to contain it. He didn't know… didn't know I'd failed. Not just in defending my brother, but in everything he'd tried to teach me. I'd let him down.

I knelt. This wasn't about Leo and me. This wasn't about Mikey or Don, and how losing Leo permanently would affect them. This wasn't about the Clan, the family. This was between me and Splinter.

_I know now, why he's the better son_.

My fears, my grief, the source and heart of my rage, were laid bare before my father. Leo sayin' he was better dan me didn't make me mad 'cause I thought he was wrong. The rage came from the fear that he was right, and that our father passed me over for leadership not once, but twice, because they were true. I t'ought he loved Leo more.

_Raphael. Just because you are not always my favorite student, does not mean that you are my least favorite son._

With those words, the fear dissolved, melting away.

Everything I'd pent up, every fear that gnawed at the back of my mind through every single practice since we were five years old and Leo mastered a kata before I did, melted away. Finally, I understood. My father's training wasn't about my place in the clan, my _job _as a member of this family. It was about me, about helping me succeed, helping me find balance. Helping me find peace. With those words, my world shifted, my paradigm changed, and finally, when it was almost too late, my place in our clan, my place in my father's eyes and heart, felt secure.


	52. Tengu Chapter 2 Excellence: Donatello

**A/N: Another of Splinter's drabbles that didn't quite fit. This one was originally written from Leonardo's point of view. In the interests of giving each Turtle a place in The Lost Drabbles, I adjusted it to fit Don. The original title was _Shi_, which means "poem".**

**Please note: Speaking of Excellence, I'm going out of town today to attend a very special, sure to be Turtley-awesome graduation, and will return on Tuesday. Diva Danielle will be posting the remainder of this set. Thank you Danni!! hugs**

**Review replies will be sent after I'm home again. Danni has enough trouble reviewing, without fussing over replies. ;) **

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The Lost Drabbles: Tengu**

_**Chapter 2 ~Excellence: Donatello**_~

_Shadow. Fur. Comfort._  
_A worn robe. Strong hands. Safety._  
_He is my father._

I was ten. Sensei stared at the poem I'd written so long, I began to feel fidgety, though I did my best to hide it. Was he disappointed? Finally he drew a deep breath, and when he looked at me, his eyes were smiling.

_Well done, Donatello._

When Splinter was teaching us to write, he had us make up our own haiku. Poetry is such an ingrained part of his culture, of our heritage. Haiku is a uniquely Japanese art. It's incredibly difficult to master because it's not just about the number of syllables in each line, it's also about the "beats", the feeling of the words as they flow together, and about the whole. Each word must be meticulously chosen, specific, in tune with the greater picture. One wrong word can throw the entire thing out of whack.

Watching Splinter work through the katas, I am continually both amazed and frustrated. Amazed at the precision, his ability to hold each pose, and move so fluidly into the next it's like watching smoke shift shapes; and frustrated by my own clumsy attempts to follow his movements. Fortunately, Splinter is patient, working with me to perfect my forms until the exercises come as naturally as the calligraphy brush gliding across the paper.

He is my Sensei, my teacher, my mentor. He is my example, the one I strive to live up to. He is my father.


	53. Tengu Chapter 3 Ninja: Splinter

**A/N: Kinda short, I know, but my beta-readers assure me short is ok. Poor Splinter! LOL  
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The Lost Drabbles: Tengu**

_**Chapter 3 ~Ninja: Splinter**_~

"Michelangelo, no!… You may not climb the bookshelf, my son. What if I had not been there to catch you?"

"That was _cool_, _Otoochan_! Will you teach me to move across the room like that?"

"Raphael! You may not strike your brother with that book!"

"Aww, _Otoosan_, how'd ya knock it outta my hand from me from way over there?"

"Donatello, turn out that flash light and _go to sleep!_"

"Yipes! _Otoochan_! I didn't hear you coming. You're really quiet sometimes."

"Leonardo, do not sweep the dirt under the edge of the carpet. Get a dustpan and clean it up properly."

"Sorry _Otoosan_. I didn't see you standing there."

Yes, the skills of swiftness, mastery of mind and body, stealth and invisibility have served me well as a ninja, but never have my skills been put to the test more than as a father.


	54. Tengu Chapter 4 Good: Michelangelo

**A/N: This was originally meant to fit into Mike's drabbles, but I like how Hell came out so I kept it. I wrote this after watching The Blind Side, an amazing movie about NFL player Micheal Oher. I highly recommend the movie. Mikey's quote comes directly from the movie. Here's to Big Mike, to second chances, and to hope.  
**

**The original title was "Honor".**

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****The Lost Drabbles: Tengu**

_**Chapter 4 ~Good: Michelangelo**_~

We might die tonight. I can see it in Leo's eyes as we clear the first floor. He's got this grim, determined look. He's not smiling, not planning past how we're going to get past this floor.

I'm wondering why I followed him on this suicide mission. Why do we do half the things we do? I mean, really. Why do we risk our shells for the people of this city, when a stray bullet or lucky shot could take out one of my brothers… could take _me_ out, in a heartbeat? Why do we pit ourselves against someone like the Shredder? The guy's got a whole _tower_ full of ninja and weapons and science and tech type stuff that even stuns Donny so he stands for a minute just _staring_ in awe before he tries to find us a way around it, and here we are, my brothers, my father and I, thinking we can storm the tower and destroy the evil that lives inside. Why do we do it?

For honor.

I don't always know why we do what we do, but as I watch Fearless … I know my big brother has a plan, and I know what we're doing is right.

A wise person once said, "...any fool can have courage. But honor, it's why you do what you do. It's who you are, and maybe who you want to be. You should try for courage and hope for honor. And it doesn't hurt if the people leading you have some too."

Yeah. Following Leo might be insane, but at least I know I'm following the right person. That makes it all worth while.


	55. Tengu Chapter 5 Understanding: Leonardo

**A/N: The end… the real and true last of the Drabbles Forever series.**

**Many thanks to those who stuck with the series, and a huge, glomping hug of thanks to my amazing beta-readers. **

**One more time, Polaris'05, Diva Danielle, Melody Winters, with occasional assists from DuckiePray and FairDrea, you gals all rock my Turtle and Ratty Socks.**

**Thanks will be at the end as always.**

**This was originally titled "Still" and contains a nod to the first movie. I intended it as Splinter's first Drabble, but a chat with one of my betas inspired **_**Seimei**_**, and it seemed a better fit.**

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T****he Lost Drabbles: Tengu  
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_**Chapter 5 ~Understanding: Leonardo~**_

"Don't ya ever get tired o' meditatin', Fearless?" There's a sneer in my brother's voice as he walks past. I let his words flow over me, sliding past as if they are nothing more than the sound of the wind.

_In. Out. Breathe._

"_You must learn to focus your minds, my sons. Through control of the mind, control of the body follows. Now, close your eyes, Michelangelo. Breathe deeply. Focus_… close_ your eyes, Michelangelo_."

_In. Out. Breathe._

The humans came closer, their lights echoing off the walls, their toolboxes rattling. Their voices were loud, amplified in the tunnel. I pressed close to Sensei, his hand wrapped around mine. My other hand was on Mikey's shoulder. Raphael and Don were back at the Lair, waiting for us to come home from scavenging. I could feel Mikey trembling with tension.

"_Be very still, my sons_," Splinter whispered. "_We must make no sound_."

We all froze, holding our positions, until the humans passed the dark tunnel we were crouching in.

Once the tunnel was silent again, Splinter let out his breath in a slow hiss.

"_You have done well_," he said, more to Mikey than to me, to stop the flow of tears sliding down his cheeks, but he gave me one of his rare, precious small smiles of approval.

_In. Out. Breathe._

Splinter'd been missing almost a week. Raphael had recovered from his injuries, but the tension of not _knowing_ was making us all go a bit stir crazy. I sat in the woods, breathing deeply, allowing the spiritual plane to rise up around me.

_In. Out. Breathe._ The exercise I'd practiced a thousand times, striving for silence, for peace in my spirit, but this time… this time…

_Leonardo._

_Father?!_

It was in the stillness that my world, all our worlds, came right again.

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**If you've read this far, thank you, for sticking with this series for so long. They have been incredibly fun, and challenging, to write. And I absolutely could not have finished this series without the help of the wonderful ladies who beta'd each and every one.**

**Melody Winters, Diva Danielle, Polaris'05... you gals rock. Fair Drea, DuckiePray, thanks for the encouragement, the support, the heart palpitations and the virtual cookies. You girls also rock. **

**Thanks as well to:**

**Goddess Hanyuu for the first review :)  
lorientmnt for wanting more  
TigerToa for almost feeling bad for the Foot soldiers and buying Donny get-well cards in bulk lol  
Reinbeauchaser for support throughout and for being an epic fangirl ;)  
minuet-of-forest for kind reviews  
Harmony Winters for dropping in to review  
Longing For Leo for liking Leo's drabbles and for having an epic screename :)  
Candelight for sharing her light  
Livi Love for giving me a deeper understanding of Karai  
Pinguin1993 for feeling unable to review  
FairDrea... Yes, he is. He really is. *snicker*  
CheshireDreaming for nice reviews  
BlackShuriken for "wow"  
54Viruses for a little happy dance  
Ramica for being awesome  
Scribe of Theresa for nice reviews :)  
LadyBlue001 for a sweet review  
AlyssaFelixa for wanting an awesome TMNT hat  
lost frequencies for checking Leo out on YouTube  
Kyaserin Marii for soldiering on  
UltimateLeoFangirl for laughing at Leo's driving skillz  
Joy Jababanoid for calling the drabbles "professional"  
sabra jaguar for being awesome and inspired. Can't wait to see where inspiration takes you!  
Raph's Destiny for epic awesomeness and That's what she said. LOL  
xxKuroyoxx for telling Raph! HA  
Rika24 for remembering Joy  
LadyBlue001 for a nice review  
Butterfly Meadow for reading  
Donata for laughing at Don  
XMenfan23 for liking surprises  
"Mikell", aka DivaDanielle (who forgot to sign in under her own name before reviewing) for making me laugh randomly for days at the silliness. hugs Danni :)  
Mondhexe for loving a chapter, and for her epic fic Fanfiction, a Turtle's Reply. :D  
Falruza Black for a nice review  
AlexHamato for ranting ;)  
Leonardo Mystic for a kind comment  
magiccat for asking for updates :)  
Eridani23 for liking Mikey chaps  
sait4soreyes for wanting a "Maryverse" which made me lol  
firstar28 for loving Mikey  
DuckiePray for just being epic  
Mew Sakura for coming back  
WebMistressGina for not bothering lol  
**

**Thank you all so very much. I hope it won't be very long before I begin another adventure with our favorite boys. Until then, **_**doomo arigatoo gozaimasu**_,** Thank you very much indeed.**

**Rejoicing in the day,**

**-Mary  
**


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